Virgin Heartache
by Dannyyob
Summary: All it took was one confession- one confession to destroy everything Mori thought he understood. In the aftermath, will his resolution to keep a friends secret and help in any way he can blossom into- something more? Rated M for violence, language, rape.
1. confession

Virgin Heartache

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran HSHC by Hatori Bisco, or Bitter virgin by Kusunoki Kei which this storyline is based off of.

Mori/Haruhi

Chapter 1- Confession

The clouds roamed across the morning sky in a dark and heavy fashion, moving in a single uniform mass under a sharp and biting wind. The clouds had appeared quickly, blotting out the sun with their swollen bodies that had shone brightly not even an hour ago, bringing an almost oppressing atmosphere of depression over the city. And within this city, between the sprawl of urban homes and the first line of high-rise enterprise buildings stood a large church of gothic refinement. Its stony skeletal structure was a stark contrast to its neighboring constructs that held a definably modern appearance for these modern times. Hidden in the shadows of the high-rises, with six perfectly straight black spires rising fiercely to the dark sky, surpassing the high-rises in height, this grand building seemed at once like a starved beast, hungry for the life beyond the small twisted and leafless trees that surrounded it like a spiked fence to fill its otherwise hallow center.

Parked before the parabolic arched mouth of this imposing structure was a long black limo, and beside it stood a tall young man with black spiky hair, wearing all black cloths and an impassive face that refused to yield any emotions that might otherwise be swirling rampantly through him. The church and its environs certainly formed an imposing feel to the area but the young man was not concerned. He wasn't unsettled by the unyielding silence or eerie air pervading throughout the area. By nature he just wasn't the kind of guy to get anxious over little things like this. Even the rumor that this church was supposedly haunted didn't faze him.

The rumor in question went that the spirit of a woman who committed suicide haunted this church, due to the belief that she had been abandoned by her lover. As the story went, she and her lover were from different walks of life, she was upper crust and he was from a low class society. It was by mere association with a mutual friend that they came to know one another, and soon after fall passionately for each other. But despite their affections, both their families disapproved of their relation and demanded they separate. Unable to relent to this request, they chose to elope. Under the cover of nightfall they had promised to wed in this very church before fleeing to another part of the country, but even though she arrived at the agreed upon time, he never showed. After several hours of frantic waiting, she was greeted instead by their mutual friend, who informed her that her husband to be was involved with another woman whom he could not give up. This shock was made more unbearable when the friend confessed to knowing for some time what was going on but had chosen to never speak a word.

This however was not the truth. The unspoken fact of the matter was that the friend had long desired the man for herself and catching wind of their plans she had immediately warned their parents. Upon learning of their intentions, the couple's parents had quickly convened and formulated a plan to split them up. They prevented the man from leaving by successfully trapping him in a cellar while they let the woman go and wait for a lover that would never come. They had asked the couples deceitful friend to lie about the situation, and she readily agreed, believing it would be her opportunity to get the man for herself.

Distraught and utterly heartbroken by this supposed revelation of betrayal, the woman had screamed that she would tolerate no more lies and no more secrets before taking up a ceremonial knife that had laid upon the alter. Her lover, having managed to escape from the cellar, appeared only in time to see as she dealt a fatal blow upon herself. He and everyone else watched in horror as she fell down, dead before she even hit the ground. Since she had died in the church with a broken heart, her ghost had remained bound to this site, forcing people to reveal darker truths that they might be keeping secret, and prevented them from lying if their words could only bring hurt. It was said that after the funeral the deceitful friend had taken vows, becoming a nun to repent for her sins, while the woman's lover in turn severed all ties with his family before disappearing without a trace, and has since never been seen or heard from again.

A fascinating and touching story, but the youth didn't believe it. If it was indeed as haunted as people claimed, it would be a huge blow to the Christian people who believed they were protected from such unfortunate circumstances by their god. It wouldn't do if one of their houses of prayer were haunted by a ghost who demanded nothing but the truth. Though in all respects, seen from a different perspective, why should the church not want such an honest spirit, who made it her duty to keep others from tainting their souls by speaking lies? All in all, regarding all aspects of the matter, even if such a spirit did exist what could she possibly want with him? Mori wasn't the type who went about telling lies; he barely spoke at all.

Morinozuka 'Mori' Takashi, the heir to the Morinozuka household, gazed up at the church with his dark eyes, taking in its enormity. He was here on behalf of his father, whom had come down with illness, to meet with one of the fathers who ran the church. Consequently, the man was an old friend from his own fathers' high school days attending Ouran and was also in fact the one who founded this church with his family's support to give the local community with Christian believers a place to pray with others in their belief. Besides being a reunion with an old family friend, this meeting was for business, though Mori was yet to be informed of what exactly. His father had only told him that the Father would tell him what it was about before his mother had come in shooing him away, saying she didn't want another child catching what his father had come down with.

Mori felt another small wave of depression wash over him as he recalled his mothers' words. The absence of the minute childlike blond youth who he was usually seen with was entirely due to his own negligence.

Hearing that a relative had fallen ill, his elder cousin Hunny had immediately rushed over to give his condolences, though it was a bit unnecessary for just the common cold. The boy had been supplied a large strawberry cake upon his arrival and had sat cheerfully at the dining table, eating his cake and tending to his stuffed rabbit bun-bun, while Mori sat next to him to occasionally wipe away any mess from Hunny's face. The maids were ecstatic, being able to witness once more such an adorable scene between the two beautiful kin.

Then Satoshi had come in and when Mori turned to give him his attention, Hunny had slipped away to pay a visit to his cousins' bedridden father. By the time Mori realized his cousin was no longer there and had tracked him down, he was already too late as the Haninozuka heir had been exposed to one of his fathers' horrendous coughing fits. Though the boy had shown no early signs of illness, by the next morning Hunny was as bedridden as his father. The mere sight of Hunny burning red with fever and seized by uncontrollable coughing had been a hard blow to Mori.

Never had Mori felt like a true failure to his honorable duty of watching over his child-like charge. Seeing his gloom, his father had immediately instructed him to do this small favor, to help keep his mind away from thoughts of self- punishment as he was likened to do when ever Hunny was placed in an unfavorable condition.

"Young Master" Said someone from the other side of the limo. Mori, broken from his currently depressing thoughts, turned his head to look at the chauffer who was standing by the open drivers' door.

"The Limo seems to be low on fuel right now. While you are conducting your father's business I'm going to go and fill up the tank. Is there anything you might need me to do while I am away?"

Mori shook his head and the man immediately bowed his head once before climbing back into the limo and driving off. Turning back to the church, Mori heaved a small sigh and decided it was time to get this business affair over with.

Walking up the stone steps to the solid oak doors, he turned an iron handle on one and strode into a dimly lit room. A few seconds passed while his eyesight adjusted to the darkness before he was able to fully perceive his surroundings. Beneath eight equally enormous Neo-Baroque chandeliers that hung suspended from the ceiling though out the room were six long rows of hard wood benches, each bench flanked with tall candlesticks with pinpricks of light coming from flickering flames. Arranged in a fan shape, each row was faced towards an alter that stood before a magnificent stained glass depiction of a man on a cross that stretched from the floor to the high ceiling, who Mori at once recognized from his studies as being Jesus, the mortal son of the Christian God. Standing in front of the said alter was a man with cropped black hair and tiny spectacles garbed in priestly robes who looked up from the book he was reading as Mori closed the door behind him with an audible thump.

"Hello," greeted the man in a friendly manner. "Is there something I can help you with young man?"

"I'm here to see Father Joseph Rawes." Mori spoke in a monotonous voice as he walked down the center aisle.

"Ah! You must be Mr. Morinozuka. I was told you would be coming. Father Joseph is currently upstairs with another of the fathers if I'm not mistaken. Wait here while I go fetch him at once." Stepping away from the Alter, the priest made for a door off to the right. As the man moved, Mori noted that he walked at a slow pace, seeming to favor his left leg. With this analysis Mori hazarded a guess that the priest had sustained an injury of some sort in the right leg. Depending on where Father Joseph was 'upstairs', it could be a while before he saw him.

As the door shut behind the man, Mori exhaled deeply and began to wait. While he was waiting his eyes wandered around the room, taking in the intricate paintings that hung on the walls around the room, depicting scenes and people from the ancient past as described in similarly ancient texts. Though Mori wasn't Christian he did have some respect for the religion, though at times he did have to raise an eyebrow at some of the things he'd heard were portrayed in the bible. As he was looking his eyes fell upon a confessional that was tucked away in a corner to the Alters' left. Curious, he walked over to get a better look at the free-standing booth.

While standing in front of it, Mori's mind went back to Hunny, and he started to wonder what he should do. If the boy was not better by tomorrow, he would inevitably have to be kept from school. If that happened, Mori wouldn't be able to watch over him like he felt was his duty. His mother would refuse the idea of either of her sons taking a day off from school just to tend to a cousin who would already have plenty of assistance from the maids as it was. She was quite against the idea of having him become sick as well, since she had already gone through as many precautions as possible to keep him well. Mori knew he would just have to go throughout the day, waiting for the clock hands to finally hit 3:20, the time when school officially let out, before he would be able to see his cousin again. Speaking of school, if his cousin was still unwell, he wouldn't stay afterwards for Host Club activities. He paused for a moment from his concerns about Hunny to wonder about the reactions of the other Hosts.

Tamaki, the host club's king, would probably try to come up with some idiotically pointless plan to help Hunny and himself in their 'time of need'. While it was more than enough for him to be concerned for them, the passionate blond in his overdramatic displays of concern for the 'family' could get carried away, going absolutely overboard with numerously weird idea's. It was enough to thoroughly befuddle the mind when Tamaki would conceive a plan with the utmost belief in its success when anyone else could point out its obvious flaws. Fortunately a certain Ohtori would be there to step in and prevent the blond from performing any irrational acts- provided he could be coaxed into involving himself with something with no real benefit for himself.

The said Ohtori in question, Kyoya, aka the shadow king, after effectively shooting down Tamaki's plans would be more than likely dissatisfied at the mere thought of the low profit Mori would produce simply because of his neutral personality. The sad fact was that Mori was only an effective host as long as Hunny, his 'lovely item', was there with him. Otherwise he came off as cold and distant- not something a proper host should be in front of his female designations. When he could, Mori would inform Kyoya about taking the day off instead of tending to his hosting duties. It wasn't like he really had a choice after all, because while the club would lose income from having neither him nor Hunny there, they stood to lose more in the form of designations and even first-time costumers if Mori was by himself.

The twins Hikaru and Kaoru probably wouldn't actually be concerned about him or Hunny not being there, but would probably take the opportunity to torment Tamaki. If they were good at anything, it was pushing all the wrong buttons to set Tamaki off- not that that was entirely hard but those two had a definite finesse when going about it. Whether it be adding fuel to the growing fire of his passion only to coldly douse his ego by crippling his plans with sound logic, or distracting him from said plans by 'harassing' his 'daughter', the twins would get a rise out of him which would only result in making a complete fool out of himself, with the additional effect of it further alienating him from his 'daughter' Haruhi.

His thoughts now went to the final host of the group, Haruhi, the only female member (though this was a secret to the rest of the school) and his eyebrows drew together as he began to contemplate what her reaction would be. Her response was actually quite unpredictable at the moment. Initially he would have thought that she would of course be a little concerned about him and Hunny, but she wouldn't dwell on it, just merely wait for them to return. Forever practical by nature and never one to overcomplicate a situation, Haruhi would hope for their health to return, perhaps giving out a helpful tip or two before going on with her own life. Some might think it a little cold of her to act so reserved like that, especially with her own friends, yet Mori understood that even if she didn't go out of way to prove it he knew she still cared. That was just the way Haruhi functioned- or rather he thought she did before the end of the last club session.

Near the end of last Fridays club session one of Haruhi's designations had stormed out because Haruhi, being utterly unresponsive and staring out into space, hadn't paid attention to a word she'd said. An awkward silence had fallen over the room as all Haruhi could do was stare after the girl before mumbling out an apology to empty air. It had been the second designator in as many days to leave because of her inattentiveness. The last time it happened she told them it wasn't because she was sick but refused to give any further explanation for her actions. Kyoya had transferred her last designation over to Tamaki, explaining that Haruhi was clearly out of sorts and therefore unable to carry on. For the rest of the session Haruhi had worked on silently tidying up the room while the others quickly wrapped things up.

After all the girls had filed out Kyoya had immediately rounded on her, demanding to know just what had possessed her to lose yet another valued customer. The cool façade was gone, replaced by an unforgiving icy wrath that clearly expressed itself on his face, the tone of his cutting voice promising horrid repercussions with every word that fell from his lips, causing everyone else to tremble with fear.

Lately Kyoya himself had been acting rather odd, grumbling darkly as he worked on his computer when he wasn't hosting and snapping at Tamaki more frequently than in the past. Not wanting to take any initiative to discover what was troubling their Demon lord, everyone just assumed that it was due to a lack of sleep or something.

Thus wearing a fake smile Kyoya proceeded to scribble something down in his notebook, claiming her debt had been increased again, both for the costumer as well as the cost of flowers to be sent as an apology. By chance Mori had been close enough to glance over Kyoya's shoulder and had flinched after seeing the figure that was written down. At this rate, Haruhi would still be working for the club to pay off her debt, long after she had graduated.

Just as Haruhi, looking thoroughly distressed, was about to say something, Tamaki had immediately sprung forward, shouting about protecting his daughter from 'mothers' harshness before he enveloped her into a protective embrace. It was while Tamaki was crushing her to his body with the full force of what he believed was parental affection that it happened.

With his arms wrapped tightly around her, Haruhi suddenly blanched while her eyes went wide in fear before she opened her mouth and at the top of her lungs did something none of them had ever seen coming- she screamed. Haruhi screamed. As Tamaki let go and fell back startled, she'd bolted for the door as fast as her legs could take her.

The rest of the club had stared after in stunned silence as she fled the room. Then the twins had rounded on Tamaki, demanding to know just what he had done to her, while the blond shrieked back in his own defense that he was innocent. Kyoya had gotten on his phone to talk with some unknown person while Mori had tried to console a distraught Hunny who looked on the verge of tears. Just what had happened to make Haruhi react that way?

Shortly after, Kyoya had gotten off his phone and informed everyone that Haruhi was on her way home and that it would be best if they left her alone for a bit. Tamaki had immediately cried out that something was wrong with his child and that she really needed him, but one look from the shadow king had silenced the lord and left him cowering in fear. He then reminded the remaining club members that come Monday they would be attending a brief meeting and that they would use the opportunity to get to the bottom of Haruhi's behavior, but for the weekend they should all just give her some space. That meant no phone calls, no surprise visits, nothing. Save for Tamaki, who was huddled in his ever depressing corner of woe, they had all agreed.

Mori sighed heavily, wondering what tomorrow would bring. Their concern for the female host had been driving them all a little crazy, but they had kept to Kyoya's advice- no, his orders to leave the poor girl alone. Everyone that is, except for Tamaki whom Kyoya had to order his staff to apprehend and confine in a room at his place over the weekend after a sorry attempt to sneak over to her house disguised as a ninja under the cover of night. Well, they would get an answer tomorrow so-

The creaking of the front door snapped Mori out of his mental deliberation and he turned to see who had come in. His eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the one and only female host slowly walk in, wearing a large pale rose colored shirt over a pair of slightly baggy jeans, and shut the door quietly behind her. Mori vaguely recalled that this church wasn't too far away from Haruhi's neighborhood. From his position Mori was mostly hidden from view, yet he still felt a little exposed at the moment. As her eyes began to travel around the church, looking for anyone else, the idea of being alone with her became an unappealing concept. With the way he was feeling now and not knowing how she herself would react to seeing another member of the host club, he just didn't feel like it was a good time to attempt a conversation by himself. Thinking to make himself a little less visible until Father Rawes showed up, he tried to move back but as he did Haruhi caught the movement.

"Who's there!" she called out, clutching her hands to her chest. Mori silently cursed as he hastily slipped into the confessional, shutting the door behind him.

"Please, who's there?"

Overcome by a sudden inexplicable panic, Mori felt his mouth move on its own accord. "I'm a Father of this church!" Wait, What? Did he just say that? Damn! What the hell was he thinking! He needed to calm down and come up with a plan, fast! Maybe if he was clever she wouldn't come and investigate. He cleared his throat out before speaking in a more subdued voice. "Mass has ended, so unless you wish to confess, please go home."

He flinched as Haruhi spoke. "Father?"

His hands started to shake uncontrollably on the door handle as Mori held his breath, waiting to hear her leave. He jumped in surprise when he instead heard the other door to the confessional open and shut. In silence, thoughts racing, he tried to keep himself from breathing too hard from nervousness at the close proximity of the female host. Just what kind of mess had he gotten himself in to? First he hid for no apparent reason and now he lied about being a priest- in a church haunted by a ghost that demanded truth no less! Mori felt that things were slipping far beyond his range of control.

The events from the last few days had clearly taken a greater toll on his stability then he had realized. Mori scrambled to bring reason back into his jumbled mind to figure out how he was going to get out of this mess. If he was going to salvage this situation, he was going to have to pull himself together. She didn't know it was him. Maybe if he stayed silent she would eventually go away.

Mori mentally slapped himself for having such a thought. As reason once more began to take a more prominent place in his mind, logical thinking took command. She was his friend; there was no need for him to be doing any of this. He would just tell her it was him and apologize for the deception. Just as he was about to say something though Haruhi began to speak, freezing the words on his tongue.

"I'm not actually a Christian, but may I confess?"

Mori felt his reason get shoved off its prominent place as curiosity took over. What could Haruhi possibly need to confess for? Was it perhaps the problem that had been causing her recent behavior? If he listened, he might be able to find out what was going on with Haruhi and inform the other hosts later before they chose to do something rash to further upset her. On the hand, as his conscious duly reminded him, this was a personal confession. Regardless of whether or not they were friends, Mori really didn't have any right listening to it, not like this. And yet as a friend, wouldn't he be able to do more for her if he only knew how to help? Mulling it over, he finally gave into playing along with the charade for a little bit longer. Sneaky, yes, but it was for a good intention. If Mori's attention hadn't been completely focused on Haruhi, he might have noticed that the booth had suddenly gotten colder.

"You may confess," Mori spoke, purposely making his voice even deeper than it usually was so that she'd be less likely to recognize that it was him. He felt a cold sweat roll down the side of his face and he absently wiped it away. This was a serious gamble he was taking, not only because of what he was doing but because time was against him. He didn't know how long he had before Father Joseph would show up but he knew that if he wanted to keep his identity a secret it had to be after Haruhi had left the church. He fervently prayed that something would keep the father detained just long enough for this to work. After a few seconds of silence Haruhi proceeded into her confession.

"I've always had a fear of thunder," she started out. "I think it has a lot to do with the night that my mother died, because I was alone at home during a bad storm when it happened. Whenever I hear it, or see storm clouds approaching, I usually hide underneath the nearest bed or table I can find. Occasionally, if I'm not at home and about in public, I run for the nearest church I can find and take sanctuary there until the storm passes. Oh, but that's not why I'm here now-"

Mori listened as Haruhi stopped talking for a moment. She sounded nervous, like she wasn't sure how to go about this. He doubted that she was confessing her fear of thunder as being the main problem, but he knew it held some significance to what she was saying. He perked up as she began to speak again.

"Almost a year and nine months ago I was at school after it had ended, studying in the library for an upcoming test, when an unexpected storm blew in. When it did, I was alone with somebody I knew-a friend- a boy- who was also there studying. I was so caught up in my studies that I wasn't even aware of the storm until a thunder clap roared out above. It was so loud that everything in the room seemed to vibrate, and in fear I jumped into his arms. I was only looking for protection, a means to escape from the storm, but he- took it the wrong way."

Mori felt himself frown at hearing this. Had this boy done something- inappropriate- to Haruhi?

"Apparently, this- friend- of mine had feelings for me- feelings that I was oblivious to. When I sought his comfort he saw it as a sign that I had reciprocated his feelings, and taking my hand he led me to a back room attached to the library. When we got there, he tried to make a move on me but I resisted. It wasn't what I wanted and I told him as much. When I told him I only saw him as a friend he got really angry and he struck me. I fell down, hurt, but I was still conscious. I was going to yell at him for hitting me, ask him what the hell he was thinking, when the thunder boomed again. All I could do was cower on the floor in fear. While I did this, he went down on me… and preceded to rape me, right there in that room."

Mori was stunned. This- this wasn't what he was expecting to hear! He didn't know what he had expected, but certainly not this! Never this! His mind was sent plummeting into a void of confusion as the reality he knew was hellishly warped beyond recognition. This was wrong. Everything about this situation was very, very wrong! He didn't want to hear any more, to have any more of these lies- they had to be lies! –told to him! But Haruhi wasn't finished.

"And one year ago today… I gave birth to a girl… and gave her away."

-- -- -- -- --

A/N- Yay! First chapter done. Perhaps the only chapter to come- (sweat drops at unseen stares) -this story is just a way for me to test out my own writing skills, and I'm not sure if or when I might update. I've had family and friends tell me that my writing was good, but the last time I actually wrote something was back in the 8th grade, so as you can imagine I'm a little rusty at it. I guess what I want is people I've never met to give me their honest opinion, so please, anyone who reads this please leave a comment so I might better improve my writing skills. By the way, Mori may seem a little OOC, but that more or less has to do with the situation he is in. That's my defense and I'm sticking to it. Oh, and another thing, Bitter Virgin which this story's theme is based off of is rated M so if your underage, please don't read it- or if that's impossible try not to get caught. Tata for now.


	2. what would you do?

Virgin Heartache

A/N- this story is being kept up to date with the current chapters, so expect some spoilage.

Disclaimer: Once more from the Top… I own Nothing!

(Special Quote- 'There is no god higher than truth'- Mahatma Gandhi)

Chapter 2- what would you do?

Mori lay quietly on his bed, staring with unfocused eyes at the wall with the sliding door entrance. Adorned on the shelves embedded in the wall to the left of the door was an assortment of books, a few photos, a clock, and for some reason a large chicken plushy. Against the next wall connected to the shelves was a desk that had on it a laptop, a lamp and a carefully wrapped box. Inside the box was a brand new limited edition gundam model, waiting to be assembled. After learning that his pet chicken Piyo and the stray Tanuki Pome had obliterated Mori's first model (much to his dismay), his brother Satoshi had gone out and purchased a new one for him. He might have already been working on it now if his cousin hadn't fallen sick… and if he hadn't gone to the church today… and if Haruhi hadn't…

Mori closed his eyes, attempting to will away the unbidden memories of his morning at the church that infiltrated his mind nonetheless. His mind, though trained from an early age to block out nearly all forms of distraction, was powerless to stop the onslaught of images that came surging at him like a dismal tidal wave, ruthlessly dragging him back into a sea of despair, forcing him to remember what he wished he never knew, denying him even the smallest shred of peace.

* * *

"And one year ago today… I gave birth to a girl… and gave her away."

Everything in Mori's mind came to a halt. All proper order and reasoning was crushed as those words tumbled out her mouth, left bare to the world. Words that put a crack in the foundation of beliefs and understandings he had of this world. Haruhi had been raped… and she'd had a child because of it? The whole concept was just insane! Was the girl speaking on the other side of the confessional really Haruhi? As much as he wanted to deny it with every fiber of his being, he knew it was her. In his mind, the delicate image he had constructed of the girl- a pristine representative to everything he knew about her- was shattered, blown away in a chaotic swirl of dust.

"I gave her away… to a relative of my father's… a cousin and her husband who was supposed to take care of her temporarily… but it's already been a year."

Mori could hear Haruhi began to breathe a little harder on the other side of the confessional. These words and the feelings that came with them had to be reopening old wounds- unbearable, unspeakable wounds that had been brutally carved into her body.

"A year- and I- I--- I'm getting ahead of myself. Yeah…I won't feel right unless I say all of it- back from when this problem started." Mori cringed hearing her say that. He didn't want to hear anymore. He didn't deserve to. But try as he might he couldn't tear himself away from the spot- it was as if he were rooted there by frozen manacles. It felt as if something, a frosty presence, was keeping him trapped inside the box. He heard Haruhi draw in a shuddering breath and exhale. Then she continued with her awful tale.

"That boy- he left after he was finished with me and sometime after another one of my friends- another boy named Arai- happened to come in and found me like that. He tried to help me but when he touched me, I panicked and lashed out at him. I screamed at him not to touch me, to never ever touch me. I was so cruel to him, but I couldn't help it. I wouldn't let him anywhere near me so he told me he was going to call for help- and for my father. When he said that, I panicked and begged him not to. I didn't want my father to learn I had been- taken- against my will. He suggested calling another one my friends, Kazumi, to come help instead. I let him, she came, and together they managed to get me home."

"Walking home made me want to die- it felt like all those people we walked past could see what had happened- like they knew just how damaged I had become. And every man we passed- it was as if they were all leering at me. Even Arai, who walked ahead of us and did his best to keep other people at a distance, seemed to look at me with different eyes every time he looked back to check on us. After a trek that took almost an hour we finally made it to my house, and after locking the doors we sat down at the table and waited for my father to get back from work."

Mori heard her breath hitch, and he could imagine the tears starting to fall down her face if they hadn't already.

"My- my father came home late that night- he was surprised to find us all there, just sitting quietly at the table. He asked me what was wrong but I couldn't even look at him. The shame of what happened to me- that I'd allowed my weakness to take hold of me- that I didn't even try to fight back- he was still watching me, waiting for an answer that I didn't have the strength to tell him. That's when Arai stood up and told him that he thought I'd been molested. And in that moment, with the truth out in the open, everything fell to pieces. I can't remember much after those words were said but father- was furious. Seeing him like that, I couldn't take it anymore. I ended up passing out."

"When I came to, I was in the hospital, and my father was sitting in a chair right next to me. The first thing I saw was the pure hate fixed on his face. I truly thought he was angry with me. The look on his face changed though when he realized I was awake. But then he moved in to hug me- when his hands touched me- all the memories came flooding back to me and I screamed. A doctor rushed in and she managed to calm me down- but I wouldn't let my father get anywhere near me. My own father!" Mori bit his lip to keep quiet as she fell into a small fit of sniffles. A few moments passed before she found the strength to go on.

"When they-sniff- asked me-sniff- what I remembered- I told them I didn't want to talk about it. I was being irrational. I knew my memories were real- but I still wanted to deny that it happened to me - that someone I trusted could betray me in such a way. I tried to convince myself that I shouldn't be there, that it was all a big misunderstanding… I- I actually tried to believe that I wasn't raped. But the doctor and my father- they told me I didn't need to say anymore- because they already knew who did it."

"I found out then that I had actually been out for almost three weeks since I was raped. They told me that while I was unconscious I'd talked in my sleep- that I'd spoken his name, begging him to stop- and with that the police managed to track that bastard down, question him until he confessed and convict him for what he did to me. It was also when I found out that I was pregnant. Pregnant at fourteen. When the doctor went to my father with this revelation, he was already strained beyond his limits because of this nightmare. He was shocked speechless when she told him I was expecting.

She asked him several times if he wanted an abortion, but he refused to answer her. Since my father couldn't make a choice she ended up asking me if I wanted an abortion. Can you imagine- having that sort of decision forced on you. The doctor tried to convince me that an abortion would be the best option because I was too young to have a child, that with all the higher health risks I stood a greater chance of dying or my body being damaged for life."

Mori felt the hair on his neck rise as she let out a dry, humorless chuckle. It was an unnatural sound that he wished she'd never made.

"When she told me that I couldn't stop from telling her I was already damaged. After her a few other doctors came in, and they explained all the medical complications that I would have to go through if I went through with the pregnancy… but not a single one among them could tell me if killing the child was right. In the end I chose not to have an abortion because the sheer thought of ending the new life growing inside of me- it horrified me to think of doing such a thing."

"While I was recuperating in the hospital, my father went through numerous efforts to keep anyone from finding out what had really happened, covering it up by telling people I'd come done with a rare illness. He didn't want my life being any more difficult than what it had become. With all my fathers' hard work, we managed to keep the incident from going public. After I was released, I took time away from actually going to school, having Arai and Kazumi bring me my homework, while also undergoing therapy. It was hard but eventually I got better at having people- men- be around me. In time, I could hug my father again, sit next to Arai when we worked on school assignments together, and even bump into people on the street before I started to show. I had gotten over it- for the most part. The only thing I had left to deal with was my own pregnancy."

"It's complicated to understand what I was thinking. Even though the circumstances weren't what they should have been, I often imagined what it might be like to be a mother. I wondered if I might be as good a parent as I remembered my own mother being. After nine long months the baby was finally born. It was supposed to be a tender moment- but-"Haruhi drew in a shaky breath." -when they tried to hand her to me- to give me my child- I panicked and I told them-"she gasped loudly."-I told them to get that _thing_ away from me. I don't know why but when I saw her I was overwhelmed by emotions I still can't identify- fear, hatred, and disgust- they were all swirled together and yet these words don't even come close to what I was feeling. All I knew was I wanted nothing to do with the child. The boy's parents had been aware of my pregnancy from the start and told my father they didn't want the child either. In the end, my father called his cousin and they made the arrangement to take care of her until I got better- until I could handle having her around me. But when they drove away with the child - I never felt more relieved in my life. It was like some wretched weight had been taken off my shoulders along with the baby- and I thought it would be better if the baby never came back. I went back to school, hung out with my friends, and with my grades at peak condition I managed to get accepted into a prestigious high school on scholarship. My life returned to normal."

"I won't lie to you- sometimes it gets a little hard for me to deal- I mean, for the first couple weeks of high school I actually dressed like a boy!- although that hasn't changed… and it's hard sometimes being around my new friends- none of them are aware of what happened to me- I hope they never know. It scares me to think how they would react if they knew. But despite everything, somehow I've managed. And- since the day she was born- I have never seen the child. I've barely even thought of her- until recently."

Mori could only look down at his feet, his fists to his forehead, as he absorbed her words one by one. All the feeling felt like it had been drained out of him, leaving behind a cold emptiness to rival the temperature of the box. What was it again that he had been so concerned about earlier this morning? It seemed so silly now. They had the best doctors that most money couldn't buy at their disposal, and yet he had felt as if Hunny might never recover from a simple cold. Whereas Haruhi, small and fragile as she was, had gone through an ordeal that had scarred her, destroying her trust in others and leaving her incapable of ever being completely, truly whole again. The thought that she had been suffering this entire time, unnoticed by those who claimed to be closest to her, made him feel like a selfish ass. How was it that he could have been so blind? He listened intently as her voice once more filled the silent space between them.

"It's been an entire year since I gave birth to that little baby girl- and in the past few days I've been obsessed thinking about her. Its' gotten so bad that I've started to completely ignore the others around me as I get absorbed in my own memories. With all the randomness that goes on in my life as is on top of remembering things that just pop up out of nowhere, I feel like I'm about to go crazy. Just the other day, I freaked out when one of my friends came up from behind and hugged me. I was so terrified that I screamed and ran away. After acting like that, I don't know what my friends must think of me now- they haven't even tried to call me or anything. I don't know what they'll say, but I intend to try and apologize for all my recent behavior when I go to school tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well. But Father- what I want to know now is-"Haruhi let out a sob but forced herself to continue in a shaky, broken voice. "E-even though I've n-never wanted her… and I'm r-relieved that she's with s-someone else… is it… is it all right for me to celebrate… her birthday?"

Mori's eyes snapped wide open. '_I don't know how to answer that! What should I say! Think! Think!' _The chilly air within the confessional suddenly seemed to press in on him, suffocating him, and a voice that he swore was not his own, a voice as crisp as winter morning, demanded him to answer.

"F-father- please!" Haruhi sobbed. "What should I do?!"

Mori couldn't take it anymore. He snapped his eyes shut, inhaled abruptly and shouted "You have the support of God!"

There was silence- an antagonizing long silence - as Mori waited for Haruhi to respond. Finally in the resounding silence he heard-

"Thank you. Thank you Father."

Mori just sat there in the confessional as Haruhi exited it. Even when he heard the echo of the front door being opened and closed, he didn't get up. He just sat there in the tiny box, shuddering. The icy presence had disappeared, taking the cold with it and allowing warmth to return, but he still kept shuddering. He felt something move down his cheeks, and when he reached up to touch them, he felt moisture. He realized he was crying- crying for a girl who had cruelly lost that which could never be given back.

The tears were falling freely down his face when the confessional door opened and he looked up to see another priest with the same cropped haircut as the other man standing there. Father Joseph. As he looked down at him Mori saw sadness reflected in his dark eyes, and it hit him instantly that father Joseph must have heard it, or at least some of it- Haruhi's confession- and his response. While he tried to come up with something to say, anything at all to explain himself, the older man knelt down unexpectedly and embraced him.

Strength failed him as all the feelings he'd been holding back washed over him, drowning him in a flood of emotion. Mori felt something inside give and the next thing he knew, he was returning the hug, clinging desperately to the support the father gave to keep from completely falling apart.

"Did I do the right thing?" Mori asked hoarsely. He did, didn't he? Or should he have done something else? Should he have said more? He needed to know.

After a moments silence, he heard father Joseph speak softly into his ear.

"You did the only thing you could."

The words were meant to be a comforting reassurance yet after they were spoken Mori felt a sharp pain course violently through his body, a feeling comparable to barbed wire being wrapped around the inside of his chest. With the utmost sincerity, he disagreed with the father.

* * *

Mori came back to the present when he heard footsteps outside his door. He didn't move as the door slid open and his younger brother walked in wearing a blue nurses' outfit with gloves on his hands and a mask over his mouth- one of his mother's precautions when they visited the sick. Stepping into the room, it seemed as if his brothers' mere presence somehow brightened up the whole space, banishing away the cloud of depression that had previously consumed it.

"Ni-san!" Satoshi cried through the mask, striding briskly up to his bed. "Is it true that you've fallen ill too?! I heard from mother that you came back from fathers business with the church looking quite lifeless, and she's worried you've come down with something as well. But fear not, for I've brought you medicine to cure this wretched illness. Here, see!" Satoshi held up an amber bottle filled with a darker liquid.

"One sip of this, a good night's rest and you'll be back to your old self by morning. Here, take some now." Satoshi shoved the bottle into his hands and then stared at him expectantly. Mori held it up to his eyes and watched the liquid shift around slowly as he tipped the bottle from side to side. Then without any warning he tossed it back at his brother. Satoshi's eyes widened and he scrambled back to catch the bottle before it fell to the ground.

"Ni-san, why did you do that for?" Satoshi cried plaintively. "You need this to get better or-"

"Not Sick." Mori interjected loudly, cutting off his brother.

"You're not sick? Well that's a relief, and mother will be happy to hear as well. But if you're not sick-" Satoshi moved and sat down at the end of the bed, removing his mask at the same time, "-then what's wrong? You're not acting your usual self, and it's got the rest of us a little worried."

"Just- want to be alone", Mori murmured turning his eyes up to the ceiling.

Satoshi wasn't satisfied with the answer, so he pushed the matter further. "It's not about Hunny, is it? If it is you should know that he took this stuff this morning and he's already feeling a lot better. Doesn't work on dad to well though for some reason-I wonder why-?"

"No. It's not Hunny." Mori replied curtly, wishing Satoshi would take a hint. Satoshi, it seemed however, wasn't in a perceptive mood right then.

"Huh? Well if it's not, then what's bothering you...…?" Satoshi let out a startled gasp. "Could it be you ran into the ghost?! You know, the one that committed suicide when her lover-"

"Satoshi!" Mori snapped, raising his voice in irritation. Satoshi stopped talking, staring at his brother with wide eyes. Mori thought about yelling at him to just get the hell out- though to have the brother he idolized say that to him would probably shock the boy so much that he would probably be frozen stiff to the spot. Instead, after a moments' deliberation, he found himself asking instead, "what would you do, if you were put in a situation where there was absolutely nothing you could do?"

"What? What would I do if I couldn't do anything?" Satoshi's eyes scrunched up in concentration as he thought this over. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and answered "then I would do nothing."

Mori stared at his brother, for once truly speechless. Satoshi took this as a sign to elaborate his answer.

"I mean, if you can't do anything, then what's the point of trying to think about it. You'll only make yourself sick worrying about it and in the end still won't be able to do a thing. It would actually be worse if you tried to do something, knowing you couldn't, and somehow ended up complicating things for those who might be able to do something. Am I right, Ni-san?"

Mori gazed at his brother for a moment more before his lips turned up into a small smile. "Thank you." Satoshi was beaming as Mori turned over on his side, a clear dismissal.

"You welcome Ni-san." Satoshi finally taking the hint, left at once, running down the hall as soon as the door shut behind him.

As he listened to his brother's footsteps fade away, the smile slipped away from his face as he stared at his bedroom walls again_. 'It could be worse if you tried to do something you couldn't, Satoshi- but if you never tried to do anything, would you ever forgive yourself for doing nothing- especially if one of the people you care about was involved? Could you do nothing, not even think about it, if that were the case? No matter how insignificant it might be, there has to be something someone can do. Worrying yourself sick just might be the first step one needs to take before they can find out what it is that only they can do.'_

And so Mori lied there, struggling to discover his one true purpose. For the rest of the night he mulled over that one question- what should he do?

* * *

"Takashi!" squealed a childish voice. Mori turned when he heard his name and saw his cousin, in perfect energetic health, come bounding through the school's front gate. He reflexively stuck his arms out, catching the small blond as he leaped at him. Hunny gave out a small giggle as he was placed on Mori's shoulders to ride piggyback. All the girls in the immediate vicinity who had witnessed the scene shrieked out uncontrollably at the sheer cuteness of what they had seen; one girl even went so far as to fall to the ground in a dramatic fashion, unable to bear the 'purity of the moment' as she called it.

Mori tried to ignore it all as he walked up to the front entrance. Really, the girls were just too easily pleased, which was actually a little annoying when all they did was shriek out their joy, quite loudly in fact. Oh well, at least their shrieking would keep him from collapsing to the ground into a deep slumber. He had stayed up most of the night, and he still didn't have the answer he was looking for.

"Takashi- we're going to the club now before school starts, ne?" The small boy claimed from his perch.

"Uhn." Mori agreed, trying not to yawn. He swerved left and right to avoid the people standing idly in the hall talking excitably amongst one another. Something important must have happened.

Hunny bent down to whisper in Mori's ear. "Then does this mean we're going to find out what was wrong with Haru-chan the other day?"

Mori stopped in the hall, next to an open classroom. He felt the memories claw up to the surface of his mind again but he managed to press them back to remain attached to the present. Doing that, he gave Hunny his answer. "Haruhi has reasons, just like anyone else, for the way she acted. It's best if she isn't pressured into saying anything she won't be comfortable talking about. If Haruhi wants to tell us anything, we'll listen, but if she says nothing, just let her be."

Hunny looked down at his younger cousin's black crown while he contemplated his words. What he said made sense but something about the way Takashi had said it seemed off, though he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe Takashi was tired or something. Hunny made a mental note to ask him about it later after the meeting.

"Yeah," he said. "Your right, we shouldn't ask her but let her tell us when she's ready. Let's go let the others know before Haru-chan comes. And cake. We need cake cause' bun-bun has been wanting some since yesterday morning."

Mori felt the corners of his mouth tug up into a small smile at his cousin's antics and started to walk forward again. He hadn't gone half a step when he had to halt abruptly as a small girl rushed directly in front of him into the open classroom.

"Hurry, come quickly!" she shouted breathlessly to the students inside the room. "The confrontation is happening! Rido-san just found Haruhi-kun near the third music room and it looks like they're ready to come to blows!"

Mori stood there for a split second before bolting for the third music room. His legs carried him as fast as they could down the hallway and up two flights of stairs to the third floor. When he got there, he came to a halt as he looked down the hall to see a crowd of blue and yellow formed halfway down it, right in front of the doors of the third music room.

"Hurry Takashi!" Hunny cried. "I think I see Haru-chan and she's on the ground!"

Hearing this, Mori ran for the crowd and then proceeded to push his way through it, forcing his way to the center. As he got closer, over the murmurs and shrieks of the crowd, he could hear someone shouting.

"-of trash! Get up and face me like a man, or are you only capable of looking pretty and stealing other guys girlfriends! I Said Get Up!"

Mori broke through the crowd in time to see a guy with slicked back brown hair deliver a brutal kick to Haruhi's stomach as she lay there on the ground. When he saw this, something inside him snapped and an unfathomable rage consumed him. He felt Hunny leap off his back as he charged forward, cocking his fist back before slamming it into the face of the brown haired attacker as he turned to see who was coming.

The boy was sent soaring several feet off the ground and into the crowd of people on the other side. There were collective gasps and small screams all around and everyone stared at Mori in shock. Eyes dark with fury, the gentle giant had transformed into an enraged Juggernaut.

Mori quickly turned away from the crowd to Haruhi. She was still lying on the ground, holding her stomach, trembling uncontrollably. When Mori reached down to help her, she flinched away from his touch.

"Haruhi", Mori spoke in as calm and soothing a voice he could muster for the girl. "It's alright. You're safe now."

Haruhi peeked up at him from the floor in fear. "Mori-sempai?" she whispered, looking at him as if she wasn't sure he was actually there to help.

"What the Hell!" someone screeched behind Mori. He turned to see the brown haired boy he just hit, the guy the girl in the classroom had called Rido, standing there with his face covered in blood that was gushing from his nose. His uniform was already stained in his own vital fluids. "Who the fucking hell do you think you are getting involved?! This is between me and that wimpy piece of shit!" he shouted, jabbing a finger at Haruhi who ducked her head down and started shaking again.

"Why did you attack Haruhi!?" Mori shouted back, glaring fiercely at the boy for scaring Haruhi again.

Rido was taken aback for moment, surprised at hearing the guy he now recognized as the Morinozuka heir actually raise his voice from its accredited monotone. He wasn't the only one either. His face darkened however as he finally registered what Mori had said.

"Why!?" he spat. "I'll tell you why! It's because of that little man whore there that my girlfriend and I are on the verge of breaking up! Ever since he snubbed her at your last 'Club Session'"-, he sneered. "-he's all she's been talking about. When I told her stop talking about another man because she had me, she got into my face and started demanding what I had to offer! I'm her god damn boyfriend! She started telling me that all we ever did was the same boring stuff that I wanted to do over and over again! She doesn't know shit about what she's saying! How could listening to sweet nothings from a guy who's just faking it all be more important than spending time with me?!"

Mori stood up to face the boy, his eyes covered in a shadow cast from his hair. From the corner of his eye he was surprised to see the rest of the host club had joined the throng all around him. From what he could see it looked like Tamaki and the twins were being restrained by Hunny and Kyoya from jumping in. Even as they struggled with each other, they were all watching him to see what he would do.

In that moment something odd came over him. A feeling more substantial than his desire to stand up for a friend- an unfamiliar need to prove himself coursed powerfully through his veins, provoking him to act. And act he would. In a low voice Mori spoke, not even looking up at the bloodied attacker. "You got in a fight with your girlfriend, and so you're taking it out on Haruhi, is that right?"

"Damn straight it is!" he spat glaring at Mori while he clenched his fists.

"Tch! This is so stupid." The crowd froze as Mori said those words. The host club shared a collective look before, by wordless agreement, they ceased struggling with one another and turned their attention back to Mori. From her position on the floor Haruhi looked up at the back of the older boy towering before her.

"Tell me", Mori said, as he began to walk slowly towards the boy. "Do you know why the Host club exists?"

"To steal away the girlfriends of other guy's!" Rido shouted out. "You weave fantasies with smooth lies to make them fall in love with you, and forget all about their real boyfriends, telling them we're not good enough for them!"

"Wrong!" Mori declared. He was still walking slowly towards the boy who was beginning to edge back a little at his approach. "There's no doubt that the Host club exists primarily as a means of distraction for sophisticated young women with time on their hands. They come there to be entertained, and that's exactly what we do. But there's another purpose for the Host club. They come there to be heard."

"To be heard? What the hell are you talking about?!" There were murmurs of confusion coming from all around the crowd as well.

"I'm telling you that they come to be heard. Out in the real world, beyond the walls of this school, Host clubs exist for the sole purpose of listening to the words of women- of housewives, teachers, and politicians alike- who long to be heard. Women who want to relieve themselves of their troubles by telling them to men who will listen to them when their husbands, boyfriends, students and everyone else fail to do so- They long to feel as if their words have more value than what they think they do based upon the actions of others."

Mori hadn't stopped walking towards the boy, who had backed himself up through the parted crowd into the opposing wall. He still had an angrily hostile face, but reflected in his eyes was a hint of nervous fear.

"This club- our club- serves exactly the same purpose. Your girlfriend came to our club, most likely under the assumption that she would have a good time. It was unfortunate that she chose Haruhi at a time when he wasn't feeling himself. For that I'll apologize in his stead. But that isn't the real issue here, is it? The real issue appears to be your relationship between you and your girlfriend."

"What did you say?!" Rido hissed leaning forward, the fear momentarily leaving eyes as new anger surged forth again.

"Do I really have to spell it out to you?" Mori asked as he stopped a couple feet away in front of him, his head still down. The crowd had now reformed itself around the two into a broken semi circle, allowing only enough space for Haruhi, as well as Tamaki and the twins who had rushed to her aide as soon as Mori and Rido had gotten far enough away, to see what was going on and being said. Hunny and Kyoya had moved within the inner circle of the crowd.

"She wanted to know what you had to offer- she told you that all you ever did together was the same old boring stuff- She clearly wanted more from her relationship, but apparently her words didn't mean shit to you- you questioned why she might feel happier attending a host club than being with you. Is it obvious to you now, why she feels the way she does? She wanted to be heard, to have her opinions be acknowledged, but you-"Mori brought his head up and stared straight into Rido's eyes with the coldest glare he had. "-haven't bothered to listen."

The boy paled, gaping at him in frightened shock. He felt as if he was staring into the eyes of a beast. Mori suddenly turned around, breaking eye contact and causing the crowd to gasp by making such a bold move as putting his back to the boy. He took a couple steps forward before stopping again. He turned his head until Rido could see his face, but Mori didn't make eye contact again this time.

"Instead of picking a senseless fight, don't you think now would be a good time to go and do just that?"

There was complete silence all around. It was so silent, no one seemed to move or breathe. And then, from somewhere in the crowd, someone began to clap. Soon another joined the first and then another until the whole hallway was clapping or cheering. Tamaki himself was practically crying out tears in delight, ecstatic beyond normal comparison, clapping loudly with everyone else while the other members held grins on their faces. For everyone present it was the first time they had heard Mori speak so many words at once, and never could they have imagined that they would hear such an inspiring speech when he did. His once rare words had shown greater strength than anyone could have believed possible coming from the stoic senior.

Rido had been forgotten while everyone clapped, left there to just gape after the tall senior who was walking away back to his friends. Just walking away- after having completely humiliated him. Rido felt his entire being flood with rage and he let out a scream as he charged at Mori. Many people stopped cheering to gasp and some called out warning to the senior. He was almost upon him when Mori suddenly twisted around, slamming his left foot into the boys face and sending him flying again.

The spectators scrambled out of the way this time so they wouldn't get hit again, and Rido landed on the ground hard, tumbling a few feet more. He could only gasp and groan pathetically on the floor as pain wracked his entire body. Mori walked towards him again, shaking his head.

"You just can't leave it alone, can you? Fine, be that way. Come at me as many times as you want, I'll hit you back again and again until you finally gain some sense. But understand this-", Mori kneeled down next to the young man and was looking him straight in the eyes again with a frosty glare. "- if you, or anyone else ever tries to hurt Haruhi again, I'll destroy them-Mind, Body and Soul!" He roared.

As Rido fell into a dead faint Mori stood up and walked back, past the parted crowd staring at him in awe, to Haruhi who was now sitting on hands and knees, her head cast down. When he was right in front of her, he knelt down so he could be at eye level with her. He reached his hand out slowly, bringing it underneath her chin, relieved when she didn't flinch away at the contact, and tilted her face up. There were a few tears in her eyes and Mori carefully wiped them away with his thumb before looking her straight in the eyes.

"Haruhi?" he said her name gently.

Haruhi heard the unspoken question and concern in his tone. She sniffed, blinking away more tears that threatened to spring up, and smiled up at him. "Yes Mori-sempai, I'm alright now- thanks to you." Mori smiled back, and the crowd started cheering all over again.

* * *

A/n- Finally it's done! (Collapses from exhaustion after editing it so many times) this chapter was really hard for me because of all the dialogue. So, what did you all think of my talkative Mori, eh? I realize I'm getting flaming crap-balls tossed in my general direction for that and for not making Tamaki center attention, but I regret nothing. Mori may have been very OOC this chapter, but you also have to consider that the situations at hand were not normal for OHSHC. It wouldn't have really worked if Mori had been his same old self. I'll try next chapter to bring him back more into character, give his voice box a rest. (laughs) Thanks to all my reviewers for their wonderful comments. (Proceeds to smash glass bottle and brandish end at would be attackers.)


	3. Don't Touch

Virgin Heartache

A/N- Chap. 3 is up. Sorry for the lateness- I have no proper excuse. Something I forgot to do last chapter- Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Your opinions are deeply cherished and I hope you all leave comments again for this chapter.

Disclaimer- OHSHC and BV belong to people who by some twisted warp of fate aren't me.

(Special Quote- [To Daria who's having trouble writing]- 'What's the problem? Take people you know and have them do whatever you want. I'd make them crawl, I tell you- Craaawl!'- Jane Lane from Daria.)

Chapter 3- Don't Touch

The Host club filed itself into the music room, leaving the cheering crowd behind, locking the door once everyone was inside. Mori, after slight resistance from Haruhi, had carried her in his arms and was now walking over to one of the expensive chairs pushed off to one side of the room, along with their tables and other items used for hosting sessions. The reason the room was set up like this was because Tamaki, given Kyoya's stamp of approval, had planned on having another surprise theme party for their female guests, something involving a Roman setting and Gladiators. While they were attending their classes, a hired stage crew would usually come and set the props up for them so that all they had to do was show up and change into whatever customized costumes had been special ordered for the occasion.

Haruhi winced as Mori sat her down on a plush jade green couch with dark red floral print, feeling pain boil up from her stomach. As the pain subsided, she supposed she should feel lucky that that was the only physical injury she had received from the confrontation with the Rido boy. Everything else from him had been purely verbal abuse.

According to Kyoya, the Rido boy was being escorted by his personal staff down to one of the school infirmaries. Hearing this, the twins proceeded to hiss out angry suggestions about what his staff could really do with the bastard, like hiding his body in a punching bag in the school gym or dumping it in a landfill, and so on with each one nastier than the last. Kyoya listened quietly to their suggestions before giving them a cheerful smile- and then telling them he couldn't have any more attention drawn towards his people's actions for the time being.

This caused everyone else to sweat drop at the implication to his words. Just what exactly had his staff done that couldn't warrant more attention? An awkward silence filled the room as everyone decided it was best not to ask questions they might not want to know the answers to. Feeling slightly dizzy, Haruhi tried shifting around so she could lie down on the couch only to grunt as sharp pain flared up again in her stomach.

"Oh Haruhi, My daughter!" cried their over energetic blond leader with rivers of tears streaming down his face, distressed at seeing Haruhi hurt. "Papa is sorry he did not jump in instantly to assist you! He was being cruelly restrained by your horrid Mother! It was truly a blessing that Mori was able to take charge of that disagreeable situation in my stead!"

"Oi Tono, if you'd stepped in you would have likely just gotten hurt yourself while solving nothing" Replied both the twins at once, giving Tamaki identical looks of annoyance. Truthfully, they were also a little ticked off that they hadn't been allowed to jump in. "Besides, like you said, Mori had it under control."

"And for that, I am forever and eternally grateful! And Mori!" Tamaki exclaimed, for once ignoring the twins and turning to the senior boy. "What you said back there for the club and Haruhi was absolutely magnificent!" He stared intently at Mori now, hoping he could will the senior to bring forth yet another speech of impeccable grandeur.

"Mm." Mori mumbled instead under his breath, not even really paying attention, which caused Tamaki to become slightly crestfallen at the failed expectation. Silently, the rest of the hosts shared somewhat similar feelings of regret. They too had all been a little hopeful to hear Mori talk more.

"Oh well", Tamaki sighed before snapping back into hyper mode. "Never-the-less, you're performance out there was brilliant! You defended Haruhi's maiden honor and dealt soundly with the scoundrel who dared to harm her! Bien Fait! Not only that, you brought forth enlightenment for those who may have misunderstood the intent of our club! Majestically powerful yet with a distinct air of grace, you could make an entire legion of muses weep, touching them beyond words at your excellence! I only wish someone had recorded it, for what you did was inspirational!"

"Ah, not to worry Tamaki." Kyoya replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I should be able to pull footage off one of the cameras placed outside the club room. It would pull in quite a handsome profit if we sold limited recordings of Mori's speech on the Clubs site- for a time at least."

Everyone stared at him again, falling into another heavy silence. It was Haruhi who broke the silence by asking what was on all their minds. "We have cameras outside the club room?"

"And inside." Kyoya stated matter-of-factly. "My original sources just weren't cutting it anymore with the material they were sending in, so I had several dozen of them installed so that I could capture our more, let's say, picturesque moments. Because of them, I've finally been able to gather enough material for the latest edition of calendars and photo albums which we weren't able to sell before. It was taking so long before that we were in danger of losing our large preorder for them." A cheery grin formed itself on his face, one that even seemed to reach his eyes, and the other members could only imagine what might be going through his head at the moment. Probably happy thoughts from all the money he was saving by not having to pay these mysterious 'sources' for more photos, as well as what he was raking in for the merchandise. When it came to making a profit, Kyoya truly had the matter covered in all imaginable and unimaginable areas.

Haruhi sighed, closing her eyes. This morning was just full of unexpected surprises. First she was pulled into a fight over a stupid couples' argument which had little to do with her at all, and now revelations from Kyoya. The day was starting to feel long before it had even started. With a start, she remembered why she had come and that now would probably be the best time to apologize for her recent behavior.

"Guys," she said, getting everyone's direct attention, "I wanted to apologize for what I did last time we were all here. And for the day before too. A long story short, I was kind of preoccupied with something else."

"Oh- so it wasn't cause' Tono did something perverse." The twins replied, holding their hands to their mouths in mock surprise while giving Tamaki disbelieving looks as the blonde began to sputter in protest. "Well, we kind of figured that out," replied Hikaru. Kaoru followed up by asking "Care to tell us what about?"

Mori saw something flit across her eyes, but before he could decipher what it was she smiled up at them before responding "Let's just say I was wondering about a certain someone's birthday."

"Oh!" exclaimed Tamaki, his interest peaked. "And who was this person!? Do we know them!?"

"No Sempai, you don't. And as for who… it's a secret." She whispered out in a way that unintentionally sounded conspiratorial. Tamaki and the twins blushed furiously at the cute way she looked as she said this and even Mori couldn't keep a small blush from finding its way onto his face. Really, this girl was just too damn cute for her own good.

They all jumped when the mechanical bells out in the hall suddenly start ringing out, signaling that classes were about to start in another fifteen minutes.

"Oh, it's the bell. We better get going or we'll all be late for 1st period." Haruhi never made it off the couch. When she leaned forward to get up another burst of hot pain, worse than the others before it, shot up from her stomach, and she collapsed back onto the couch holding herself tightly, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming out.

"Haruhi!" everyone shouted gathering in closer around her. "Are you all right?!"

Haruhi could only shake her head, letting out a small gasp as the pain stabbed at her belly.

"Let me through", Ordered Kyoya, moving the others out of the way. "Now Haruhi, tell me where it hurts most."

While they watched on in concern, Haruhi pushed herself up until she was sitting again, inhaling deeply a few times as the pain clawed at her, before she answered Kyoya's question. "It's mostly- ow- just pain in my stomach from where I got kicked. Aside from some pain in my shoulder from when I hit the floor when he pushed me, that's the only place I hurt."

"May I see?" The others gasped and stared incredulously at Kyoya. Did he just ask what they'd heard him ask? Haruhi's hands moved subconsciously to clutch at her shirt, while she stared at him uncomfortably.

"What?" Kyoya asked turning away from Haruhi to face the other members. "You should know that my family is, among other things, in the medical profession, so I'm quite adept at handling most problems. I merely wish to inspect the injury. Now, if you would all please move someplace else, so Haruhi can have a little privacy when she shows me. That means you to, Tamaki."

Tamaki had moved in to glue himself possessively to the girls arm, and was outraged at the idea of leaving his daughter alone with Kyoya. Haruhi on the other hand looked like she was more uncomfortable with him clinging onto her. As he hugged her tighter and tighter in protest of being separated, she was starting to tense up to the point where she was beginning to shake, though Tamaki didn't even notice.

Mori on the other hand did and moved in quickly to remove the blond from her. With an air of authority he reached down, removing Tamaki's iron grip on Haruhi before lifting him up by the armpits. Marching away with their King, holding him away at arm's length as he began to flail around like a child to get free, Mori made his way to a corner on the other side of the room while the others followed behind. From there they would be far enough away to give Haruhi the privacy she needed yet still keep her within their sight. While Tamaki made a fuss, demanding to be returned to his defenseless daughter, Mori spared a quick glance over his shoulder, wondering if Haruhi would indeed be alright with Kyoya by herself.

* * *

After watching them walk to the other side of the room, Haruhi turned her attention back to Kyoya who was speaking to her.

"Alright, now that that fools out of the way if you would Haruhi, could you please lift your shirt?"

Haruhi scooted away from him on the couch turning her head away, hiding the panic reflected in her eyes as an icy weight fell over her heart. The thought of letting someone view upon her body in such a manner- of letting a man see her- it sent an unpleasant chill up her spine. Putting a lid firmly on top of her erratic emotions, she turned her head back to face him, although she avoided looking him directly in the eye.

"That isn't necessary, Kyoya-sempai. It hurts yes, but in all likelihood I'm just going to end up with an ugly bruise and a little soreness. You don't really need to see anything."

"I'll be the judge of that Haruhi. Now stop moving away and let me see." Kyoya moved closer, closing up the gap between them. Haruhi responded by scooting over a little more.

"I said no, Kyoya sempai. There's nothing to see, because it is nothing." Her mind was racing as she tried to figure a way out of this predicament before she ran out of couch. She shot a quick look at the door, wondering if she would be able to run fast enough to get to the door, unlock it and bolt to class before the others could catch her. Especially with all the pain she was feeling.

"Don't even think about it," said Kyoya, reading her mind. "By the time you actually reached the door I would already have a squad of personnel out there to catch you. Now Haruhi, just lift your shirt. It's not like I'm asking you to completely disrobe."

"No!" Haruhi said loudly, giving him an angry glare.

Kyoya was getting irritated at the girl's unwillingness to cooperate. This was a piss poor time for her to suddenly become conscious about her appearance. Just as he was about to threaten her with another debt increase, a different idea came to him that had a higher rate of success. "Haruhi, if you do this I'll forget all about that increase I put on your debt the other day, bringing it back down to what it was."

Haruhi stared at him, disbelief showing in her golden brown eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Quite serious." He said giving her an innocent smile while thinking that even if she agreed he would only decrease the debt partially. It wasn't like she actually ever knew how much she still owed them- he made sure to always keep that detail away from her nowadays.

Haruhi turned away from him to think about his offer. He was the Devil's secretary in a guise of human flesh, a Demon lord in his own evil right, so she couldn't really trust him, could she? He would probably use some loophole to go back on his own words, or just find another reason to increase her debt. He'd probably charge her for this unwanted check up. If she did this though, she wouldn't have to worry about that increase. Also, the pain in her stomach was really starting to bother her. '_But what if he sees…'_

Haruhi pushed that thought away and held down her fear as she thought about it a moment more before a solution finally presented itself.

"Alright sempai, I'll do it. But first, could you turn around?" Kyoya sighed but did as she asked. After he did, she started to unbutton her vest from the top down until only the last button was in place. She was alarmed to see red on her white shirt underneath and hurriedly yet carefully pulled the shirt up, wincing as it dragged across her belly. She stared wide eyed at the blood smeared across her stomach. On closer inspection, she saw there were somehow a number of nasty scrapes here and there, still seeping little beads of blood. '_How in the hell did that happened?! I didn't think that guy kicked me hard enough to do this!' _Pain blossomed under her fingers as she gently touched one of the scrapes.

"Ouch."

"Haruhi?"

"All right Kyoya sempai, you can turn around now." He did, raising an eyebrow seeing what Haruhi was doing. With one hand she was holding her shirt up to her lower chest while the other held the bottom of her vest together, clutching both tightly to her body.

"Must you be so difficult?" he asked as he peered closer at the wound. Seeing the blood he whipped out a silk cloth from one of his pockets and dabbed the wet blood away. It was certainly a mess, and a bruise was already starting to form, but it really didn't look that serious. Reaching up he deftly ran his long, smooth fingers delicately over her bare skin, outlining the problem area. Haruhi flinched at the contact, feeling small fires of burning pain when his unusually cold fingers trailed lightly over the scrapes. While he probed here and there around her injury she started shuddering, though Kyoya said nothing if he had noticed.

"I don't see or feel anything wrong besides what's there" Kyoya said at last as he continued to observe her injury. "You're definitely going to be sore for a few days while this heals. You'll need to get these cleaned up a bit, put some ice on it to reduce the swelling and get rid of the bruising, but otherwise, you seem fine. You'll survive at any rate. The uniform on the other hand will have to be cleaned up again- or simply replaced." Kyoya added, ignoring the look of horror and disgust on the girls face at the thought of throwing away an otherwise perfectly usable uniform. They both knew full well that she couldn't afford a new uniform without falling deeper into debt. Taking another quick glance before nodding his head, he turned away and pulled out his cell phone. Seeing this, Haruhi brought her shirt down abruptly, obscuring any further view.

"Are we done then, Kyoya sempai?" Haruhi asked nervously, buttoning her vest up as fast as she could, her fingers doing a clumsy job at it, while being careful not to move around too much. She had **not** liked exposing her body to Kyoya. Even though she was sure she had covered herself up enough, every second his eyes had bored into her made her want to shamefully curl up into a ball to hide herself. It had taken tremendous willpower to keep from jumping up and running away when he had touched her. She was shaking so much she thought it might look like she was having a seizure. As he looked up at her from his cell phone, she quickly schooled her features into a mask of calm while praying fervently that he hadn't seen more than what was intended.

Snapping his cell phone shut Kyoya stood up and, with a flick of a wrist, sent the blood stained cloth soaring into a nearby open trash bin before answering her. "Yes, I believe we're finished. However, in light of the fact of what recently happened in addition to your pain, instead of attempting to go through the school day I've decided you should return home."

"What!" Haruhi exclaimed, looking up at him as if he were crazy. He just said she was fine and now he was sending her home?! Did he even have the right to do that?! These rich bastards- they always had to over react over the smallest things! "I can't do that sempai! There's supposed to be a review today for a test coming up, and I can't miss that! Look, I'll just go down to the nurse's office, get cleaned up, take a painkiller and I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry Haruhi, but for your own interest as well as the interests of the club, I think it would be better if you went home today. I've made sure you get a copy of notes for your class's review sent home with you from the nurses' office. Based on my observations, you're in no condition to be attending classes. Furthermore, you probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on any of your studies throughout the day because everyone else will be pestering you about the incident that just occurred."

"But-"

"No buts." He stated, waving his hand at the others' watching from the other side of the room, indicating it was ok for them to come back over. "You should know by now that I'm always right, and besides-"he gazed at her behind his glasses with slanted eyes. "-other's curiosity aside, do you honestly believe you'll be able to get through the day without having another episode- especially when either the twins or Tamaki move in to hug you?"

Haruhi felt herself freeze up as the words slipped off his tongue. Damn it. Had he noticed her discomfort around them? When he was examining her could he have figured out that she was trembling, not solely because of the pain, but because of their proximity to one another? Thinking on it, Haruhi realized she hadn't exactly done a superb job at hiding her feelings. Even during the confrontation with Rido, when everyone had rushed in to help her, every time they tried she'd flinched away, afraid of them until Mori had ended the fight. Thinking on it, she admitted it wouldn't be like Kyoya to not be able to guess what was wrong with her.

As this simple fact pushed its' way into her attention, everything in the room seemed to slow down to a complete standstill. With dawning horror, she remembered that this was Kyoya. The same Kyoya who controlled everything that went on in the host club from the shadows. The same Kyoya who seemed to know everything that went on in the school. The same Kyoya who had a file on every person enrolled in the school with details on who they were, what class they were in, where their lineage originated from, and what their history held- including her. With increasing dread, she wondered to herself- did that file include a medical history?

Haruhi snapped back to the present when Kyoya suddenly turned away from her to face Tamaki, who had been fidgeting nervously behind him. "I've decided it would be best if Haruhi not attend her classes or the Club session after school today."

"What!" Tamaki shrieked, stricken with terror for Haruhi's well-being. "Is something wrong with her?! She's going to make it, isn't she?! Please don't die Haruhi!" Tamaki sobbed out hysterically, despair reigning in as his mind started imagining Haruhi at her deathbed.

"She's not going to die so shut up!" Kyoya snapped out, making the blond boy flinch. Did this idiot have to make such a loud fuss every single time something went wrong?! Regaining his composure as Tamaki stopped crying, Kyoya continued speaking. "She is **not** in any critical condition Tamaki, so there is need for you to start planning a funeral, but the confrontation has left her highly stressed and out of sorts. For that reason I'm sending her home. Give me a moment and I'll have transportation set up to take her back home." Kyoya flipped open his phone again to arrange a ride.

"I'll do it!" Tamaki was right in Kyoya's face, his eyes gleaming brightly with eagerness. "I'll summon my fastest limo, and escort her back home personally so that-"

"-You can do something perverted to her on the way while no one's there to watch." The twins cut in together as they slid up to Tamaki from behind.

"No!" Tamaki screeched while his face colored as he spun around to glare at them.

"Oh, is that so?" replied Kaoru, turning to face his darker haired brother. "By the way his face is turning so red, I'd say we've hit the mark, wouldn't you say so too, Hikaru?"

"I do believe your right, Kaoru. Clearly _something_ must have been going through that filthy, perverse mind of his. For Haruhi's safety, it would be better if she rode with _us_ in _our_ limo." Both of them shot Tamaki deviously suggestive grins.

"No!" Tamaki shouted back angrily, glaring fiercely at the twins. "I could never allow my daughter to be carted away with you devious devils! She will ride with me in My Limo and-"

"No!" Haruhi declared suddenly, making all three stop their argument and stare at her. "No limos. I refuse to ride around in one of those things." She spoke adamantly, while her eyes shifted nervously between the three of them. Haruhi had already resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't win an argument with the shadow king about staying- as if that weren't already a stone written fact- but really, the last thing she wanted was showing up in her neighborhood riding around in a limo. The neighbors had already had a field day talking with her the last time they showed up in front of her home, riding in a Benz and a pair of Rolls.

"But Haruhiii-!" Tamaki whined pitifully, staring at her with teary eyes, "How will you get home?!"

"After I stop by the nurse's office, I'll take some pain killers and walk home. I'll be fine, really."

"I wouldn't suggest that," Kyoya cut in. "If something were to happen on your way back, say if you were to collapse, what would you do?"

"I don't know- I guess I'd-" Haruhi was cut off as Mori suddenly stepped right in front of her. The stoic giant had heard enough and chose to take action. Without warning or a moment's hesitation he scooped her back up into his right arm, eliciting a squeak from the girl, and started for the door.

"M-M-Mori sempai!" Haruhi stuttered out surprised.

"Huh? Wot?!" The other members were all startled at Mori's sudden act. Tamaki, after a few seconds of trying to comprehend what was happening, was the first to snap back to his senses, and rushed forward after the departing duo.

"W-wait! Mori sempai! Where are you taking Haruhi!" Tamaki called out frantically, stopping in front of them.

"Home." Mori stated simply.

The Host Kings face paled while his eyes widened in shock. "You're taking her home with you!" he screeched, somehow misunderstanding Mori's honorable intent as he let his imagination carry him away to another warped showing within his Inner Mind Theater. As the Mind Theater fired up the projector and proceeded to play the film, showing the two involved in a variety of explicitly indecent scenes, his face soon transformed into a look of sheer horror. "No, No, No, No! I'm sorry Mori, I won't allow it! It's improper, immoral, it may well be illegal! My Daughters far too young to be alone with any man by herself at his home! Except for her father! Come to Daddy Haruhi!" Tamaki cried reaching out for Haruhi.

Haruhi was busy trying to figure out a way to get Mori to put her down when she saw Tamaki's hands reaching for her out of the corner of her eye. Watching them as they drew closer, a memory tugged at her from the back of her mind and she was reminded of another person reaching out for her. That person- someone she thought she knew- someone she trusted- a friend whom she believed would never harm her- he attacked her- hurt her- used her.

'Let's be friends, Haruhi-chan.' a voice- **his voice**- spoke inside her mind.

And in her mind's eye Tamaki's face seemed to ripple like it was liquid instead of flesh, his light blond hair darkened until it was a rusty red, and his bright blue eyes faded to black as they lost their light. In a split second Tamaki vanished and in his place stood **that** person dressed in the school uniform. As he reached for her, grinning madly while his eyes stared at her with unbridled lust, her mind was sent cascading downward into horrified alarm.

Jerking away violently from his grabbing hands she moved unintentionally further into Mori's one armed embrace in an attempt to escape. Mori eyes went wide with shock as Haruhi practically burrowed herself into him, her hands clutching onto his vest, bunching up the material as they curled into fists. Without thinking, possibly as a result of her sudden need to flee from Tamaki, he raised her higher in his arms and turned his body until he stood between them.

Twisting around, Haruhi looked down to see Tamaki, not **him**, standing there with his arms stretched out to her and a bewildered expression on his face. Instead of feeling relieved, an unexplainable spark of anger flared to life, which quickly grew into an inferno fed by her fear and the erratic feelings swirling around her strained mind. Glaring angrily at him from her perch on Mori's arm Haruhi viciously spat out the first thing that came to mind, "Keep your hands off me, you cur! I'm not your daughter and you're not my father Tamaki sempai!"

Tamaki staggered back clutching his hand over his heart, looking as if he had just been stabbed with a blunted knife. In an instant, Tamaki fled to the nearest corner in the room to be engulfed by a dark, depressing aura that seemed to spring up from the corner itself. As the darkness enveloped his entire body, embracing him like a lover within its swirling shadowy form, Tamaki instantly assumed the fetal position, muttering darkly to himself about the world, cruelty and his daughters' rebelliousness.

"Oh no!" gasped the twins. "As we have feared, Milord has once more been swallowed up by the Emo corner! Quick, activate the anti-woe-is-me weapons!" reaching into their coat pockets, they pulled out what appeared to be ordinary flashlights as they rushed to Tamaki and the Dark Corner. Switching them on, they began slashing the concentrated beams of light at the darkness like a pair of Jedis.

The darkness seemed to thrash in pain, and angrily shot out dozens of small tendrils to capture them, failing as they jumped back safely outside its reach. Taking the opportunity the Dark Corner further enshrouded its darkness around Tamaki, drawing him deeper within its gloomy depths, away from the light. Throughout the whole ordeal, Tamaki remained oblivious to the world.

"Ugh- the aura is stronger than we expected Hikaru. At this rate Milord will be lost to us. What shall we do?"

"Save Milord from this foul manifestation of course, my brother, because without him who else can we abuse with the same humorous results!"

"I agree, but what exactly are we fighting again? An ancient evil come to prey on our weak fool? Milord's childish insecurities brought out into a semi-tangible form, trying to protect him from the harsh reality of the world? A twisted love curse from Nekozawa?"

"Does it matter? Evil, love or Milord's silly insecurities we shall crush it all the same, trampling it into the ground! Now go left while I aim for the right!" The twins leaped into action, dueling with the darkness which fought back with equal ferocity.

Ignoring Tamaki's little pity party and the twin's efforts to crash it Kyoya walked up to Mori from behind. "So you're going to escort her back home then Mori?" Kyoya questioned, eyeing both of them, noting with interest that Haruhi wasn't in the least agitated anymore. In fact she was just sitting in Mori's arms, calm as could be, watching the twins fight the Dark Corner. "By foot?"

Mori nodded, looking over his shoulder at Kyoya.

"Very well, I'll inform the principal to let him know where you're going. It will also give me the chance to explain what just happened outside so you'll be less likely to get in trouble." Kyoya started tapping numbers into his cell phone.

Mori nodded, thankful to Kyoya for doing that, and turned to Hunny who was now at his feet, looking up at him.

"You'll come back soon, ne Takashi? I'll go tell Sensei what's going on and let him know you'll be back eventually. And Haru-chan", Hunny glanced up at Haruhi, who looked away from watching the struggle between the Corner and the twins over Tamaki to focus on the smaller senior, "try to relax, ok? And when you get back tomorrow, me and bun-bun will have a strawberry cake waiting for you, won't we Takashi?" Hunny looked back up at Takashi with hopeful eyes.

Mori grunted an affirmative before walking out of the club room with Haruhi securely in his arms.

When the club door shut behind them, the sound seemed to stir Tamaki from his depression long enough to realize that neither Haruhi nor Mori were there anymore. The images from the mind theater still fresh in his mind he jumped up with a cry, dispelling the aura which sank back unwillingly into the floor, and started scrambling for the door. He got only two feet before Hikaru and Koaru swooped in on either side of him, hooking both their arms into his.

"Hazah! Milord is free!" They cheered jubilantly, twirling Tamaki around in a circle.

"Unhand me you Devils!" Tamaki cried, looking desperately to both of them. "Mori's just made off with Haruhi! We must save her!"

"From what?" asked Kyoya, appearing in front of Tamaki. "Mori is safely escorting her home, so there's nothing to worry about. Now let's get to class before the final bell."

"But- but- Mori- and Haruhi- the bed with the handcuffs-!"

The other four hosts stared at him strangely, eyebrows raised in question. "What are you talking about? Those two will be fine by themselves."

Tamaki looked pleadingly up at Kyoya. "But Mom, how can you be sure! Right now Mori could be-"

"Tamaki." Said Kyoya cutting him off. "Trust me. I'm sure Mori would never do anything dishonorable like what you're thinking about. Of this I'm absolutely positive."

* * *

"Mori sempai." Haruhi said his name softly, breathing it into his chest. This close, with her body pressed up against his, they could feel the heat radiating between the both of them.

"Hmm?" he huffed out, panting heavily while sweat ran down his fevered skin. His mind was so hazy that he almost didn't hear her, clouded over with so many raw emotions that he was hardly aware of anything outside his own body. Every muscle in his body ached fiercely and his heart which was just now slowly starting to calm down had been pounding so hard he thought he'd break a rib. His stamina was completely spent leaving him unbelievably exhausted, but after an experience like that, all he really felt now was satisfaction mixed with pure ecstasy and joyful achievement.

"Can you please put me down now-" Haruhi said squirming slightly against him, turning her face away from his chest. "-this is getting a little embarrassing," Glancing down, he saw her bury her head back into his chest as another person went by, staring up at them. It had been like this ever since they left the club room.

When they had reached the nearest infirmary, the Rido boy was thankfully no longer there. After letting Haruhi tend to her wound, Mori had swept Haruhi off her feet once more, much to her disgruntlement, and carried her through the halls towards the front exit. All along the way, the other students on their way to class had gawked and whispered excitedly while giving Mori a wide berth to walk through. Some of the girls who saw him carrying Haruhi had started squealing again over how moe they looked and another girl, who Mori swore was the same one who had fallen dramatically when he and Hunny had come in, shouted something about 'a purely forbidden love' before promptly feinting. The other girls had gotten more excited after that and he'd walked a little faster, trying to put distance between them and keep a small rise of heat from reaching his face. He paused though when he heard someone calling out for him to stop and turned to see Renge coming towards them.

Not wanting to deal with her or her wild imaginations he started walking again, thinking she would take the hint and leave them alone. Looking back over his shoulder he was shocked to see Renge charging after them. This spurred him into going even faster, quickly slipping down several side hallways and cutting through a room or two in hopes of ditching her. His hopes were instantly dashed to pieces as the sound of a loud motor roared to life and he turned once more to see Renge sitting on a gas powered scooter at the other end of the hall they were in. Eyeing them like a lion does its prey he'd seen her lips curl up into a savage smile, barring inhumanly sharp teeth, as she revved up the engine. This was no longer a mere game of cat and mouse- this had become a fight with the option of only one outcome- life or death. For the first time in his life, Mori understood what true fear was.

Letting out a shrill battle cry Renge had released the breaks and tore down the hall at top speed, forcing students and teachers to leap out of the way or get run over. Fueled by overwhelming terror Mori broke out into a full blown run, neither stopping nor slowing as Renge chased them down. He heard Renge let out peals of maniac laughter as he raced frantically down the hall, looking for a way out. Seeing an open window he'd tapped into a reserve of energy as he leaped for it, gliding through the square of freedom, and landing safely on the lawn outside. He heard an enraged scream from behind as he ran for all he was worth not daring to stop until he'd fled the school grounds and run at least ten blocks away to escape the crazed otaku.

After checking again to make sure that Renge was nowhere in sight he set her down carefully, choosing to trail behind her. They walked at a slow pace so Haruhi wouldn't start hurting again. Their destination was the train station where they would catch a train on the Yamanote Line to the station next to her neighborhood. He was a little nervous riding a public train, so he asked her once more if she was sure she didn't want a ride in a car instead, after all they had more than just limos. She declined, saying that since she was going home anyway she might as well stop by a few places along the way first, including her local store for dinner ingredients. Besides, it might be better if she just walked it off a bit.

When they reached the station a train had just shown up and they rushed to buy their tickets before it left. They managed to slip inside just as the doors were closing, and fell down on the blue train seats, breathing just a little heavily.

"Thank the gods we managed to get on," Haruhi breathed, catching her breath, wincing a little as the pain came back a bit. "And look, it isn't as crowded as it normally is." She waved a hand around to indicate the six or so other passengers who were sitting down. "If it were early morning, noon or late evening this whole thing would be packed. I once saw people actually getting shoved into a train like a bunch of weenies in a can by the conductors, even though there was no more room. I chose to miss that train in favor of getting to breathe." She chuckled a little while Mori stared at her in horror at the sheer idea of that happening. Were the lower classes really in that dire need of getting on one of these things?

Mori peered out the window as they started to move, watching everything go by. As the train sped down its track with commoner houses and other buildings flashing by, he had to admit it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. This wasn't his first time riding a public train, but- the first and last time he had ridden on one had been with Tamaki and the others, minus Haruhi. Mori shivered as the memories of that ride came back to him.

They had ridden this very line with that Mei girl because Tamaki had wanted to try it out. Between Tamaki's childish antics (like waving excitably at the other trains that passed by, mimicking the train announcements, and squealing with delight), and the twins devilish behavior which encouraged Tamaki even further, the ride had been a disaster. It had taken all his concentration to keep Hunny from making an utter fool of himself like those three (of which he was only partially successful; thank goodness Hunny still _looked_ like a child), and Kyoya hadn't done anything to help. He had just stood on the other side of the train, pretending like he didn't know them. Although he hadn't shown it, he had been just as embarrassed as Mei was. And the looks all those people had given them- it became one of those rare moments when Mori questioned why he bothered associating himself with these people.

As the train continued to rattle along, Mori found his gaze sliding over to the corner of his eye to look at the girl next to him. Haruhi was peering around the car, observing the other passengers. For some reason, she seemed more cheerful now- nothing like the girl whom he'd talked to the other morning.

Rape- Pregnancy- Child Birth… the words reverberated carelessly around his mind along with snatches from Haruhi's confession; _'I had gotten over it- for the most part'… 'For the first couple weeks of high school I actually dressed like a boy!'… 'It's hard sometimes being around my new friends-'… 'I hope they never find out-'… _hearing these things repeated in his mind the stinging sensation of barbed wire coiled around his insides, its points scratching and digging into his heart and lungs, returned with an intensity so severe it felt as though the wire had been pulled tighter.

Was this why Haruhi was so comfortable in boys' cloths? Because dressing up too much like a girl made her nervous? And what about being around them every day even though it was hard for her, forced to work in a Host club because of some silly debt over a broken vase? $80,000 dollars was nothing to spit at, but between their extravagant displays and reconstructing parts of the school grounds to create their stages and then paying all the laborers for setting it up for them everyday- The fact was that collectively they spent more money on a months' worth of club activities than what that vase had been worth. Now he understood why Haruhi was likened to occasionally calling them rich bastards. They threw money around like it was confetti without even blinking an eye. A debt like that would make any one of them pause, but that would be just about all it did.

As her voice continued to whisper pieces of her confession in his head, causing the stinging sensation to grow steadily more painful, he began to want nothing more than to forget what he'd heard, to pretend like Haruhi wanted that he had never found out. He wanted to, and yet another part of him shouted furiously at him that he should never forget. Even though her words had not been for him to hear- a confession only meant for Gods ears- because he had heard them, he now knew what the real Haruhi looked like. This fragile girl beside him who kept her wounds and worries concealed behind a smile and an indifferent attitude. Sitting right next to her, he suddenly felt like he shouldn't be this close- as if he was violating some unwritten code of conduct- because this girl, despite everything involving her past, was-

-totally virgin-like…

* * *

A/N- I've just read the latest chapter of OHSHC and the ending to Bitter Virgin. (screams like a zombie) Not only do I feel disappointed at Kei-samas choice of ending her book, at this rate tama/haru will happen. We'll, not like that's a surprise with the way the mangas' been going but all the same I'd rather bite a viper than ever accept that outcome. On the plus side though, I got to see some great scenes with Mori in it. He looked so serious when they made up that new game involving Haruhi. I loved the dark look that came over his eyes (and everyone else's) It makes me believe that there just might be a very slim possibility for those two.

-Bien fait= well done; used to express schadenfreude when someone is well-deservedly punished


	4. to celebrate a memory

Virgin Heartache

A/N: Yeah I'm alive. To make it short, works been tying me down and my will to write has suffered greatly. Current songs I'm listening to in order to stimulate my creativity are 'Return to innocence' by Enigma, 'Love in this club' by Usher and 'What would you do' by City High. Any song recommendations from you, the people, to further revitalize me would be greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer**- Beatlejuice! Beatlejuice! Beatlejuice! (Waits a few seconds) Dammit! My last hope has failed me. Oh well- neither OHSHC nor BV belong to me. Oh- and the same goes for Beatlejuice.

(Special Quote: "Art is not the possession of the few who are recognized writers, painters, musicians; it is the authentic expression of any and all individuality. Those who have the gift of creative expression in unusually large measure disclose the meaning of the individuality of others to those others. In participating in the work of art, they become artists in their activity. They learn to know and honor individuality in whatever form it appears. The fountains of creative activity are discovered and released. The free individuality which is the source of art is also the final source of creative development in time."

-Dewey, John, _Time and Individuality)_

Chapter 4- To celebrate a memory

(Ouran High School, Classroom 2-A)

Like a gentle breeze the morning sunlight flowed softly through the open windows into the classroom. As the light fell upon their bodies the students nearest to the windows were in some way changed. The yellow fabric of the dresses the girls wore absorbed the pure radiance so that they appeared to glow even more vibrantly while a striking shadow was cast over the blue vests and black dress pants of the boys. Complimented by the light of the day their natural attractiveness was brought out in startling relief. And it was not only the people who made up the class, for in the wash of warm light that spread throughout it the rooms own resplendence was illuminated.

The tiled floor, arranged into a modest flower mosaic, was immaculately free of any scuff marks that would have otherwise marred it. From the cream colored walls hung ornately gold leafed portraits of high- ranking officials next to brilliantly detailed maps and charts. Lined up in orderly row alongside the wall opposing the windows the latest models of computers hummed noiselessly, waiting to be used. Against the wall in the back of the room a 19th century walnut bookcase boasted an impressive collection of first edition texts and volumes by celebrated authors from numerous eras all around the world that would leave a dedicated bibliophile drooling in unabated delight. Protruding from the white ceiling high overhead a pricey projector flashed a series of images down onto the interactive whiteboard at the front of the class.

A wizened elder gentleman with wispy white hair stood at a podium that was situated before the whiteboard. Dressed in the schools traditional three piece suit and wearing an old fashioned pair of exquisite gold framed pince-nez that sat delicately on his small nose he was at once the formulaic vision of a dedicated educator. The stern expression adorning his face as he read from the heavy tomb in front of him completed the look, warning all that by nature he was not the forgiving type.

Peering up from his book the lines around his clouding eyes practically snapped together as he seethed upon the realization that the majority of his class was caught up in chatting away with their friends or on their cell phones. In short, they were completely ignoring him. What was truly infuriating to the little man was that they weren't even making an effort to hide the fact that they weren't paying attention. His thin fingers itched fiercely with an overpowering urge to draw up the wooden walking stick next to him while on the inside he battled against conflicting desires.

'_Gods!' _he screeched mentally in his head._ 'I would give anything- anything in the world! - To strike these ingrates down right where they sit! To bring my cane down on them like I would with a shinai-! It would be a suitable punishment for this blatant lack of respect! How can these ingrates just sit there and ignore me like this?! Don't they realize that teachers have feelings too?!'_

Biting down hard on his tongue he pulled back his outstretched hand while pushing aside the pleasant image of swinging a blade down onto every single one of their flighty little heads. Cogently he reminded himself that these impertinent little bastards were heirs to some of the most respectable families residing in Japan, many of whom were the owners of large conglomerates. Make one wrong move to harm a single one and the dire consequences he could face would be of unimaginable proportions. He'd lived far too long to screw everything up for a brief moment of justice.

Landing yet another killing blow to his withering soul, longing for the good days when a man could be struck down for showing even the slightest disrespect, he breathed a heavy sigh before shutting the book he was reading from with a loud snap that brought everyone's attention back to him- where it should have been from the very start.

"Now that we've all finished reading this section of the chapter-"he said vehemently, unable to stop himself from glaring daggers at all of them, causing a collective sweat drop to sweep over the room. "-I want a detailed report on the entire chapter from all of you by next class. I expect no less than a two, no-"he paused as an idea came to him, a cruel smirk flashing onto his face, "-four pages in my hand by tomorrow morning. You may use the rest of class getting started on this. Oh, and one other thing- this report will be worth 10% of your overall grade for this quarter." The teacher allowed himself an evil chuckle at the sudden flurry of noise as everyone scrambled to flip open their books and hastily write down as much as they could with what little time they had.

'_Let that be a lesson to pay attention next time you little snots!_' With a small feeling of satisfaction to nurse his wounded soul, he left the classroom with walking stick in hand to go hack at some poor defenseless tree somewhere on the school grounds to do away with any lingering frustration.

Unconcerned with the teachers assignment, what with being too preoccupied with another more pressing problem at hand to listen, Tamaki managed to sink down into his desk, disappearing out of sight before somehow popping back up again a seat back in the next row over. Spinning around with eyes on the verge of tears, he faced Kyoya who was now sitting behind him.

"Motherrrrr-", Tamaki whined miserably, attempting to gain the attention of his unofficial domestic partner.

"Yes, Dad?" Kyoya replied without looking up from his laptop, putting up no resistance to their little 'family' game. After playing along for so long, it seemed pointless to try and end it, or rather more troublesome for Kyoya to make an effort now. If he'd just nipped it in the bud earlier on when he'd had the chance then maybe… ah well, a tactical error on his part not foreseeing this continuing annoyance- not that he'd ever admit to such an act.

"I'm anxious about our daughter's wellbeing…" Tamaki moaned, inconsolable. "She hasn't called to let me know that she made it home all right, and she knows that she's supposed to call otherwise it worries daddy… Especially so since she's hurt! Mom, what if something's happened and I wasn't there to save her! What if Mori didn't do anything to help her or worse-! - He contributed to her misfortune!" Tamaki's eyes shot wide open as his mounting hysteria planted an absurd possibility in his mind. "What if Haruhi's been sold into slavery! Oh I can see all too clearly! Held captive in somebody's basement, being forced to make straw sandals for a mean master, doomed to cry her eyes out every night because her captors mock her for the poor quality of her work! And what if-"

Frankly, it was one 'what if' too many for Kyoya. "**What if** you're only babbling utter nonsense, interrupting me when I'm in the middle of business while you go on about your baseless idiotic fears?" Kyoya said in a tone that meant he clearly did not expect an answer. "Now if you don't mind, the accountant of the family has some very important work to do. Be a good little breadwinner and go irritate somebody else who has nothing to do. Prat."

"Kyoya! How can any work be more important to you than our daughter?!" Tamaki wailed loudly, causing just about everyone in the room to turn in their seats and stare at him.

Aware of all the attention being directed at him, Tamaki dropped down into his seat until only his eyes were barely peeping over the edge, trying to conceal the blaze of embarrassment burning across his face. He heard Kyoya mutter '_idiot_' under his breath and looked up to see him still busily typing away on his laptop.

"What are you doing anyways?" Tamaki asked curiously, quickly getting over his embarrassment.

"I'm going over the clubs' current resources." Kyoya answered calmly, not taking his eyes away from the screen.

Tamaki went stiff as stone and his breathing came to a halt. In another instant he was sitting up straight, a serious look coming onto his face, his whole body tense as he spoke in a hushed tone.

"Has there been a change?"

Kyoya stopped typing, his hands hovering over the keyboard. In a blink his eyes swept around the room, pinpointing the location of every other person present and analyzing their actions. Their classmates had scattered around the room, clustering into individual groups to work together on the teacher's tedious assignment. Despite Tamaki's loud mouth nobody seemed to be paying attention to them anymore, and all of them were far enough away that no one would overhear anything that might be said, with the utmost discretion in mind, between the two hosts. A preferential circumstance, considering the topic at hand; the club did have an image to maintain.

The Host club, an unusual business venture run by an elite group of good looking students, was a trade recently introduced within the exalted halls of Ouran. It was founded by Tamaki Suoh, the chairman's son and its current president, when he entered high school. Consisting of members solely from the A-class willing to offer their time, attention and even love to interested clientele, the club gained immediate success among the female populace. Hosting numerous flamboyant events, investing large sums into remodeling parts of the school and ordering all manner of products from the world around, the club gained a spendthrift reputation. Of course, being an institute catered quite exclusively for the extremely wealthy (with only one exception), this detail is often accepted in stride with all the students, and the club is usually never reproached for it. The publically unknown fact of the matter though is that, despite its elaborate appearances, even the host club had to operate within certain limitations.

Limitations, unfortunately enough, that were proving to be exceedingly inconvenient.

After a moments' consideration Kyoya spoke, keeping his voice low. "A merchant's happiness hangs upon chance, wind, and waves. That being, I wish it not that the morning sky were so deeply red."

Kyoya proceeded typing as Tamaki deflated, despair reigning over him, and let his head fall with a thump onto Kyoya's desk.

"What are we going to do?" Tamaki muttered into the desk, staring into the surface as though the answer were hidden within the wood patterns. A thought occurred to him that maybe it was but he just wasn't concentrating hard enough. With that ludicrous notion in mind his eyes bored into the desk, searching every grainy detail, his imagination flowing wild as he concluded that each whimsical shape had a secret meaning that had yet to be deciphered. The desk withheld the truth, but he would crack the code and its revelation would be their salvation. In his heart, he believed he would succeed.

But alas, the wood code was too complex for his simple mind, filling it with mixed images having no connection, and Tamaki's frustration steadily grew until finally it exploded.

"Surrender your secret, damn you!" Tamaki yelled into the desk, gripping its sides as he pushed his face into it, as though that would accomplish something.

Kyoya swore silently as several ladies in the room gasped in shock and saw with another quick glance that everyone's eyes were once more locked on them. Suppressed anger towards the blond welled up instantly in a blistering rage and as it peaked he shot an explosively menacing glare brimming with killer intent at Tamaki. Tamaki yelped in fear and imaginary pain, envisioning a horrific death by unspeakable means, before he cowered quietly in his seat in an attempt to make himself as small as possible before the demon lord's wrath.

"Tamaki calm down!" Kyoya hissed sharply, sparks of fury glinting dangerously in his eyes. He lifted his head and contorted his face to the best of his ability into the resemblance of an apologetic smile which he showed to the others in the class. Seeing this, the others once more went back to concentrating on their own work. With an angry huff, Kyoya let the expression fall from his face as he returned to his laptop.

After a time, once he'd overcome the aftereffects of seeing his own grisly demise, Tamaki eventually managed to ease himself out of the fetal position. He soon went back to fretting privately over his previous worries involving Haruhi's fate, finding no point in attempting to divine answers from the furniture or to continue with the early discussion involving the host club.

"Mori's probably gloating over all the money he's made selling off Haruhi." Tamaki whispered, falling back into the darkest pit of his anguishing thoughts.

"Mori's probably already dropped Haruhi off at her house and is on his way back." Kyoya interjected, his tone hinting at residual anger though his face remained impassive. "Anyways, he's too decent to ever consider selling Haruhi off to slave traders. Although, assuming the unlikely possibility that he has, we'll simply confiscate the revenue and redirect it into the clubs account."

* * *

(Somewhere in Tokyo)

The only source of light in the room came from a covered bulb hanging stiffly from a cord in the ceiling. The harsh white light it was making was directed downward, illuminating only a square table and the group of people surrounding it. There were three people seated around it and a fourth who chose to stand. Outside the circle of light most of the room was swathed in darkness, invisible shadows dancing unseen on the walls.

Mori and Haruhi were among those four, seated side by side, their bodies still with their eyes locked onto the other two sitting across from them. Mori's face was impassive, his hands resting lightly on the table while next to him Haruhi started to fidget as the silence dragged on, her eyes darting from Mori's emotionless face to the men in front of her.

One of the men, a stocky middle aged fellow, closed his eyes and pursed his lips, his brows furrowed in concentration, a contemplative expression on his face. The light shining down created shadows on his face which gave him a particularly unfriendly appearance. The younger thinner man next to him, the only one standing in the room, was wearing a hat which concealed the upper part of his face in the shadow it created. Although they couldn't see it all the others could sense his eyes traversing around the table, calculating as he observed all of them, scrutinizing the expressions on their faces for a hint at what was to come.

The air in the room was tense with anticipation. Hardly anyone was breathing as they all waited for the older man to speak. Finally, after what seemed a long time of deliberation, the man opened his eyes and stared hard into Mori's before, with only a moments' hesitation, giving his answer.

"1,608" He said with bold confidence.

Mori shook his head before giving them the proper value. "4,936."

Both men's mouths dropped as their eyebrows shot up into the hairlines. Even Haruhi who'd expected the estimate would be nowhere cheap was blown over by the sum.

"Your joking!" the stocky man sputtered in disbelief. "That's- that's more than three times the average price! To pay that much for a 'comfort'…!"

Mori shrugged, the impassive expression disappearing as a faint grin graced his lips, crossing his arms as he leaned back a little in his seat. "It can be higher."

"I just don't believe it…" The man's eyes turned to Haruhi, doubt reflecting strongly from them as he looked her up and down as if he might suddenly find a plausible reason for the extraordinary cost. "I mean seriously, for a 'dish' to be that expensive… its' crazy."

"I agree sempai" the younger man murmured as he scratched the back of his head. "Really though, just what the heck do you put in to make a single plate of curry rice cost so much?"

"Probably a bunch of top grade products imported from overseas just because they can afford it." Haruhi replied with a weighty sigh, thinking that for all intents and purposes it was likely true. "You have to understand that these are the kind of people who have no shame treating a Yami-Nabe party like a treasure hunt and try to guess what expensive food they just put in their mouth."

Mori's jaw dropped as he stared at her in shock. _'Did she actually just say that?'_

The tension in the air dissolved, instantly replaced by a friendly warmth as the other two chuckled with amusement before another light in the room was turned on. The shadows dispersed at once revealing the black tunics and matching pants worn by the two men, the metal insignia emblazoned on the standing man's hat strikingly noticeable in the sudden light- the uniform designating them as Tokyo metropolitan police officers. Putting his own hat on which had been lying on the table off to the side the older officer got up from his seat before escorting both of them back outside the station.

"You remember to take care of yourself now lad" one of the officers called out after Haruhi, waving cheerfully after them as they departed down a bustling street. "I like our chats and all, but I'd rather the next time we meet not be because you're heading home hurt or sick- again." The two officers let out a hearty laugh as Haruhi's cheeks flushed a light pink before she called back, letting them know she'd try.

"Well now" Haruhi breathed," that was- embarrassing. Sorry you had to sit through that, Mori-sempai."

Mori shook his head, letting her know that it was fine. Truthfully, Mori had found it quite entertaining seeing the looks of shock that flew across all their faces as he revealed the prices for different meals that ordinarily they themselves would usually only spend a fraction of the cost for.

They'd found themselves in that curious situation when not long after getting off the train they were stopped by a patrolling officer who, finding it suspicious for a couple of students to be wandering around while schools were in session, brought them to the station for an interrogation. It was by a twist of luck that another officer who'd been at the station had recognized Haruhi from a previous encounter when she'd attempted to stumble home with a fever.

The interrogation turned into a friendly (and to Mori completely mystifying) conversation detailing the food that was served in the cafeteria at Ouran. After that they'd started a little guessing game where they tried to figure out how much individual plates of food cost. As Mori was the only one with the most experience on the matter (since Haruhi usually dined on a homemade bento) almost all of the questions were aimed at him.

Overall, the entire conversation lasted only about half an hour.

Along the way they made one more stop at the Marutomi, the supermarket bordering the residential area, where Mori followed her around pushing a silver shopping cart as she pulled stuff off the shelf. He couldn't stop his lips from curving into a subtle smile as he watched her march up and down the aisles with a hawks' eye, going over prices and inspecting the quality of the food, her eyes lighting up every now and then when she managed to find a good bargain. The small cart was filled with rice, eggs, nori, a few veggies, and one fresh salmon before she was satisfied.

"I'm thinking about making zosui and salmon rolls for tonight" she told him while they passed through the checkout. When they walked out the store he offered to carry the bags and she readily obliged.

The noisy shops and crowds were soon replaced by silent houses as they walked side by side down a narrow lane. A strong wind began to blow as they walked, kicking up dust and sending a wave of dry leaves that had fallen skidding across the road, filling the air with a crackling noise. The chill in the wind and the leaves a rolling mass of red and orange sweeping towards them were a clear reminder that autumn was not far away.

"Just one more block to go. Hopefully we won't get stopped again before we get there." Haruhi commented casually, downplaying the embarrassment from the earlier scene.

They turned another corner and there, on the other side of a two-lane road, was the apartment complex Haruhi called home. They crossed the street quickly and made for the rickety stairs that led up to her apartment. They had just begun to climb them when a door near the landing opened and a woman walked out.

"Haruhi?" the woman called out as she caught sight of them, closing the door behind her as she moved closer. Mori remembered meeting her once before, recalling that she was the landlord of the complex. She was almost standing next to them when he noted that she was holding something, a blanket it appeared, bundled up in her arms.

"Landlady." Haruhi greeted the woman, stepping back down the stairs.

"What are you doing back so soon?" the woman asked while adjusting her hold so she was carrying the bundle in one arm. Her eyes flickered over Mori suspiciously, before going back to Haruhi. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"There was- a fight at school. Somewhere in the process I kind of got caught up in it." Haruhi answered carefully, omitting the finer details of the circumstance.

"Oh my goodness!" the woman exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth as she looked Haruhi over in concern. "Are you all right dear?"

"Sort of", Haruhi replied. "I got kicked in the stomach and it was bothering me so it was- decided- that I should go home. One of my friends from school chose to come with, to make sure I made it." Haruhi finished, gesturing over to Mori.

Mori nodded his head as she glanced over at him again. At that moment a loud wail suddenly split the air startling all three. The woman quickly bent her head over the bundle and shifted one of the folds aside. Mori heard Haruhi draw in a soft gasp as a tiny hand suddenly shot out and started waving underneath the woman's face.

"Oh what's the matter little one?" she cooed at the tiny face that blinked back with sleepy eyes. The infant had liquid dark eyes, a little nose and small tufts of black hair on its head. It opened its tiny mouth to yawn widely and Mori could see four little teeth in its mouth, two on the bottom and two on top.

"A- baby-"Mori turned his head when he heard Haruhi murmur. He saw her staring intently at the baby, her lips pressed tight into a thin line.

'_Is she thinking that this is what her child might be like?' _His blood chilled as the thought brushed across his mind. He closed his eyes shaking his head and when he opened them again a smile graced her face.

"So who is this little guy?" Haruhi asked brightly, though Mori thought he heard a quiver in her voice.

The woman looked up from tending the baby, a smile donned on her face as well.

"This is my grandson. My daughter came up from Osaka to visit for the week. She went earlier to go catch up with some of her old school friends so I get to watch over him while she goes and plays around. Of course, being as absentminded as she ever was, she forgot to bring a stroller with her. I was just on my way out to go meet up with one of my old friends to borrow the one she has, that way I'm not left carrying the little dear everywhere. I don't think my back would hold up that long!" she chuckled softly to herself. "'The fortunes of aging'- Well, I suppose I should get going."

The woman was turning to go when her eyes fell on Mori again. A hint of suspicion tugged at the back of her mind and she quickly turned back to Haruhi. "I imagine you must still be in quite a bit of pain. After I get the stroller I'll stop by later and see if you're doing any better, alright?" '_And I'll make sure that he still isn't here.' _The landlady thought to herself. With a quick nod she turned and walked away.

Mori and Haruhi watched the woman with her grandchild climb the short rise leading up the street before they started up the stairs. Pulling a key out of her pocket Haruhi unlocked the door and they slipped in moving into the kitchen area.

"Dad, I'm home" Haruhi called out as Mori set the groceries on the counter and started riffling through the bags and putting things away in their proper places. Mori had been to her house with the other club members on a couple of past occasions but unlike the others was familiar with where things went. With Mori at least Haruhi didn't have to worry about going through everything again.

"Dad?" Haruhi called out again, pausing with the salmon in hand as she waited for an answer. The house remained defiantly silent.

Mori had finished putting away the last thing from the store when he saw something lying by the coffee maker.

"Haruhi." She turned at her name and saw Mori holding a folded sheet of paper in his hand with her name written on it. Haruhi took the note from him, pulling it open and scanning over the few lines scrawled onto the small piece of stationary.

"It says my dad had to leave early for work cause' the boss is ill again." She read out loud. "He must have thought he'd be stuck working overtime, even after I got back from school and the Host club. I guess I can give him a call in a little bit to let him know-"

The rest of the sentence was cut off as a chill shot up her spine when a realization hit her. She shot a glance towards the living room door before her eyes snapped back to Mori. When she saw that he was watching her she hastily lowered them so that her gaze was locked with the floor. She felt her arms begin to tremble but she resisted the urge to cross them.

'_What am I suppose to do now?' _She thought demurely to herself.

"-Excuse me a sec while I go… change my clothes." She said quietly.

Haruhi turned and stepped briskly over to the sliding door that led into the living room while Mori, puzzled by her subtle shift in behavior, followed behind to sit at the table in the next room. When she was in front of the door Haruhi suddenly stopped and stood there with her hand on the handle. Mori was about to ask what was wrong when she spoke.

"Do you have your cell phone on you?"

Confused by her question he felt around in his back pocket and fished it out. Holding it in his hand he noticed that the time wasn't being displayed in the little square panel. He flipped the phone open and instead of seeing the snapshot of his pets the screen was black. It was then that he remembered that he'd forgotten to recharge it last night.

"Yes, but the batteries dead." He replied.

Haruhi twitched as he told her. "No helping it I guess" she mumbled to herself.

"You can use the phone in the living room to call for a ride. Just to warn you though my dad and I kind of threw a personal party with a few close friends that got a little wild near the end. I fell asleep sometime last night and woke up late this morning so I haven't really had a chance to seriously clean up or anything so everything is kind of just...well, I apologize for the mess. "

'_A party…?_' Mori wondered before the door slid open. His jaw practically hit the floor as he stared over her head into the room on the other side.

The room looked like it had been ransacked by a small tornado.

From floor to furniture litter lay scattered all about the room. Strewn all across the floor (what little was left of it to be seen) were numerous empty soda cans, beer bottles, as well as a few random articles of clothing. On the table, no longer in the same place where it usually stood, an accumulated variety of cosmetics and beauty magazines dominated much of the surface while a multitude of dirty plates, bowls and cups stacked up into several unsteady towers had apparently been shoved to the side and now either leaned dangerously over the edge or lay fallen on the floor. Brightly colored confetti and streamers covered everything, with dozens of the discarded little party poppers responsible seen everywhere. A couple of open trash bags that had been meant to contain the mess had somehow tipped over, thus spilling their contents everywhere and further adding to the mess on the floor.

The place was a pigsty.

As Haruhi maneuvered her way to the bedroom Mori hovered at the doorway gazing uncertainly into the room.

"The phone is by the door there," she said drawing his attention. Her head was still bowed, her hair hiding her eyes. "After you're done you can wait in the kitchen- if you want. Once again, I'm sorry for the mess." With that she spun around and darted into the bedroom, sliding the door shut with a sharp snap.

Looking at the room again Mori ignored the phone, deciding on a different course of action.

Kicking off his shoes and removing his jacket he stole another glance around the room before stepping in to tackle the chaos. He went straight for the table first and removed the precariously balanced dishes from danger and restacked them on an empty spot on the floor to dump into the sink later. After that he moved quickly throughout the room, holding one of the trash bags in one hand while the other jutted out to pick up the bottles and cans. He worked swiftly and meticulously, focused solely on the task at hand. It didn't bother him in the least that his current actions were in the midst of destroying an almost fundamental concept placed upon higher society.

Amongst many of the long held general beliefs associated with the noble class there was an absolute certainty that the rich were incapable of cleaning up after themselves since they allegedly had servants to do it for them. Born within the lap of luxury by having virtually every need attended to without lifting a finger, it was determined that the rich weren't taught any of the necessary common knowledge to take care of themselves. Sadly, just as the common folk suspected, this was for the most part largely true.

While from birth a child of high standing might be groomed by their parents and instructors to take over their families companies, learning to coordinate several business ventures at once and direct the actions of their underlings towards their own benefit, many of the worlds future leaders proved quite regrettably that when it came to taking care of menial tasks for maintaining the upkeep of their homes and businesses they were wholly reliant on their staff. While they could order something broken to be replaced or an unsightly mess be cleaned up a vast majority of the high class, if put to the task of attending to it themselves, wouldn't even know where to start.

Those who were aware of Mori's lineage would speculate that, coming from a family that were once dedicated servants to the Haninozuka family, his actions were habitual, much like his desire to oversee the needs of his cousin, which stemmed naturally from the blood. A systematic instinct programmed into his very DNA. But that was not the case.

Even though he grew up in a similar environment to his peers Mori was raised to be self reliant. Within the Morinozuka clan it was a steadfast belief that the incapability to take care of your own self was nothing short of folly. Sure, they had servants just like anybody else did, but that didn't mean they let themselves act like total slobs. Witnessing how other families of the same standing lived, the inability to do even the most mundane chores by themselves blatantly transparent, the Morinozuka could only shake their heads in quiet disappointment.

To put it differently, one could say the Morinozuka adhered to another though rather controversial belief circulated by the common folk- to be poor was to be smart while to be rich was to be dumb. Decidedly, their clan had gone through great pains proving, to themselves at least, that wealth had not made them ignorant.

Mori paused briefly in his endeavor for cleanliness when his eyes fell upon a wooden cabinet that came about waist high set against the wall near the rooms exit: a Butsudan. The twin doors had been left open and inside Mori could see two shelves. The lower shelf held a bronze vase filled with fresh white flowers, a tiny black round pot with an incense stick stuck in the center and next to that a spirit tablet, the gold lettering shining brightly against the red paint that coated the rest of it. On the top shelf between two empty candle holders was an IEI with a woman in her mid twenties who smiled warmly back at Mori. The woman in the picture looked like an older version of Haruhi, her face having the same oval shape and small straightly thin nose but with longer brown hair kept tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes were closed as she smiled but he imagined that they were the same soft golden brown that her own daughter possessed. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the woman was Kotoko Fujioka, Haruhi's mother.

His eyes linger on the woman's face for a few moments longer, drinking in the similarities between the woman in the photo and the daughter who so closely resembled her, before he let them travel to the right of the picture-

-and felt every muscle in his body tighten as his heart twisted violently inside his chest, the imaginary wire pricking painfully around it, causing him to gasp.

On the other side of the picture lying on top of what appeared to be a red bib was a miniscule white plate with a simple pattern of golden vines trailing around the rim. On the plate sat a perfectly small cake laced in a soft pink frosting. On top of the cake a single red strawberry had been sliced and artfully arranged into the shape of an opened flower. Rising from the center of the design was a single white candle.

Being with Hunny who craved the sweet stuff on a daily bases Mori had seen thousands of cakes during his lifetime. Besides the many special events he'd attended over the years, he'd accompanied his cousin on factory tours and seen cakes of so many shapes and sizes that he'd honestly forgotten more than he could remember. Of the numerous varieties he had seen them range from simple one layered affairs flatter than a slice of bread to monstrosities so big that they took up an entire table, from the square and circular to edible sculptures molded after people or landmarks. He'd witnessed cakes so extravagant and skillfully crafted that to consume them seemed an unthinkable act.

He'd become an unintentional expert when it came to cakes and compared to others this tiny thing could barely be considered a delicacy. It wasn't a masterpiece that had been crafted by a world renowned baker. The ingredients that had gone into it were cheap, passable for consumption but certainly nothing high quality. It had neither flare nor distinction. It was just a simple pastry.

So why did his heart feel so heavy?

Because the cake was an offering.

For the infant child Haruhi had given up.

Mori's eyes left the cake and traveled slowly around the room. The clutter that marred its otherwise pristine condition- what appeared to be the remains of a drunken get together- was it something more?

What must it have been like, having a birthday for someone you had never wanted? Someone whose conception was the living evidence of a betrayal from someone you had trusted as a friend? Someone you unwillingly carried and whose existence was an ever constant reminder of your own desecration? Someone whom you had rejected the very day they were born?

Mori's eyes drifted back to the woman in the photo, her smile still warm and inviting.

What was it like celebrating the life of someone who wasn't even there?

* * *

A/N- Okay let me be honest here- I sporadically mulled over this damn chapter for months (I repeat, months!) and it still didn't come out the way I wanted. Every single time I look at it I see errors riddled throughout it, changes that should or I want to make. I might still be working on it if I hadn't said to hell with it so I could start working on the next chapter. And so, I give my solemn vow to try and make the next chapter not quite so crappy and maybe one day come back and straighten this one out. It might be a while until you hear from me again though, what with me and my job and also trying to improve my artistic capabilities. I can almost draw a perfect circle for the heads on my stickmen.

**: A few brief explanations on things in this chapter for those who might ask or are confused:**

-At the scene with the two officers, one of them used the words 'Dish' and 'Comfort'. Dish can be used as slang term to identify a good looking person. 'Comfort' short for 'Comfort women' is a euphemism applied to women working in military brothels; an example would be of the women who were forced by the Japanese army to perform sexual services during WWII. The word can also be applied to identify a type of food that can settle the stomach.

-When Mori see's the cake it's on top of a red bib. Red bibs are usually tied around statues of Jizo, the god of children. He is a god mothers pray to when they have lost their children. Normally this applies to children who are deceased but I figured I could get away with using the symbolism.

Yami-Nabi Party: basically a get together around a pot of stew.

Zosui: A Japanese rice soup

Butsudan: a family shine kept within the home

IEI: The portrait of a dead person


End file.
